


Absolution

by Dangerously_Demonic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers: Endgame
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Body Horror, Buckle In It's Gonna Get Wild, Character Study, Gen, I also reject /the/ canon, I reject your canon and substitute my own, Intergalactic roadtrip, Introspection, Mind Meld, Multiverse, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, POV Loki (Marvel), SHIT GETS WEIRD, Sharing a Body, The Tesseract (Marvel), called it, consensual body modification, eldritch horror, i guess?, mild endgame spoilers, one shot turned story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 12:37:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18638272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dangerously_Demonic/pseuds/Dangerously_Demonic
Summary: Having forsaken everything after the Battle of New York, Loki tries to decide on a path forward. No longer is he Prince Loki of Asgard, nor is he Loki of Asgard.He is Loki of Nowhere.





	1. The Spoils of War

His mind still reeled from the things done to him to make him subservient to Thanos and the memories echoed loudly now that the adrenaline had faded. While he’d certainly survived the torture, Loki knew that it’d be haunting him for centuries to come…Assuming he wasn’t straight up executed by Odin upon his return to Asgard. After all, despite his adoptive father’s indifference towards Earth, he knew the old fool wouldn’t take kindly to his supposed attempted takeover. Loki briefly closed his eyes and reopened them to stare at his reflection in the elevator door; he carefully kept the mask of cool indifference up.

He doubted Odin would care that he’d been a mere puppet, dancing on strings out of fear of what else might be done to him. If anything, the Asgardian King would scold him for being weak and likely point out his Jotunn heritage as a reason why he broke…Then point out how Thor would have reduced Thanos to a bloody pulp of purple and red. How little they knew.

Ah, Thor. He didn’t know what to think of the man, anymore. Loki doubted their relationship would ever be the same. He remembered when they were children and how Thor claimed he’d kill all of the Frost Giants. Would that include his own brother? The secret of Loki’s true heritage had been kept from them for a thousand years. He’d managed to push these thoughts out of his mind for some time while enduring Thanos’ torture, but being around his brother only reignited them.

The chime of the elevator broke his thoughts and he sourly glanced around the lobby, but something caught his attention. Loki didn’t know _what_ , but something was different. It was a feeling, not entirely different from a musical instrument that had one untuned string. The song might sound right enough, but it had something _off_ about it that was hard to place if one didn’t have an ear for music.

Loki fell into step with the others as they herded him out of the elevator as if he were a child. Quite quickly, the group was stalled by another who began arguing over which one of them got to carry him off, like some sort of prize. He couldn’t help but sigh and stand there, annoyed. As much as he dreaded the idea of returning to Asgard, he didn’t really want to delay the inevitable any more than was needed.

Quite suddenly, one of the men collapsed. Loki glanced over, somewhat curiously. Thor had said the man’s name…Stark, maybe. He didn’t really remember and didn’t really care. Behind him, Hulk made a violent entry from the stairwell door, knocking a soldier backwards. Frankly, he had no desire to see the green menace again, what with the recent humiliating defeat at the hands of the beast. Amidst the sudden chaos, a high pitched _tink tink tinktink_ caught his attention and Loki looked down to see what’d caused the noise. At his feet laid the Tesseract.

While Loki didn't know what purpose Thanos wanted the infinity stones for, the fact that the alien had been willing to send a massive amount of forces to retrieve a simple item…This alone said that the Tesseract held some importance and given the torture he'd endured? Loki didn't feel keen on returning to Thanos, especially after having lost the other stone. Nor did he feel keen on returning to Asgard and facing either death or imprisonment for the rest of his days.

So, when a third option literally landed at his feet, Loki had no qualms with pouncing on the opportunity. Quickly, he bent down and picked up the Tesseract; the energy contained within the cube caused his fingertips to tingle. A single destination formed in his mind and behind him, the portal opened with a soft sound. Without any hesitation, he stepped backwards.

When the portal reopened, he stepped out into a wholly different world. Gone was the lingering smell of dust, smoke, and acidic scent of pollution. Instead, the world around him smelled crisp and green, mingled with the smell of a fresh rain. Loki stood on the grassy hill of a meadow, the greenery still glittered with water from an early spring rain. Crouching down, Loki sat the Tesseract on the ground between his feet and worked on removed the gag that covered his mouth. When it hit the ground, the shackles on his wrists quickly followed.

Sighing, Loki sat down and rested his arms on his knees. For the first time in a long time, he felt that he could simply _breathe_. Yet, also for the first time, he didn’t know where to go. In the past, if he felt lost, he’d seek the advice of his Mother. Frigga always seemed to have the right answer, or if she didn’t, she knew how to divine the spirits and gain the wisdom she needed. He didn’t have that luxury now. Showing his face in Asgard would be suicide, in some form or another.

Then again, his entire life had been a lie, hadn’t it? Despite being raised as the crown prince of Asgard, with as equal chance at the throne as Thor, the reality had been much different: he hadn’t had _any_ chance at the throne. He wasn’t Asgardian. He was a fucking Frost Giant. A Jotunn, sworn enemy of Asgard for eons before his conception. Nothing more than a political tool and a final chance for Odin to spit in Laufey’s face.

Loki felt conflicted over the entire thing. While it was easy to be angry at Odin thanks to past treatment, he found it much, much harder to be angry at Frigga. She’d always been quick to forgive him. Even with her gentle scoldings at his behavior, it’d always been clear to him that she adored his inclination towards magic.

He stared at the Tesseract, momentarily captivated by the dancing light under the surface of the cube. Admittedly, his current situation was a bit shitty, but on the other hand? He currently had an object in front of him that would more or less allow him to go anywhere he wanted. Gently, he plucked the cube up in his hand and lightly thumbed one of the edges.

 _He could go anywhere in the galaxy_.

Loki knew Asgard would search for him and that he was likely branded a wanted criminal, now…But between his shapeshifting, illusions, and holding an object of teleporting space magic? It’d be very hard for them to find him. While he found the idea of never seeing his Mother again to be painful, he hated the idea of being locked away in the dungeons or executed to be much, much more distasteful.

There were no rules to follow anymore, no bowing to the whims of an old king, no more living in his brother’s shadow. He was free to be whoever he wished, go wherever he desired, do whatever he pleased. Truthfully, it wasn’t a bad idea. It just meant forsaking everything he’d know for his entire life. Then again, he was sure that fancy feasts and wild parties would be held in other parts of the galaxy. Still, it’d be a massive jump. Though, not as massive as allowing himself to fall off the Rainbow Bridge, he supposed.

So, he was no longer Prince Loki of Asgard. Then again, he’d never really been a prince, had he? With no royal Asgardian blood in his veins, he had no claim to the throne. This left him as Loki of Asgard. Yet he’d willfully given up the idea of ever returning to his home.

He held up the Tesseract so that it blocked the sun, and quietly gazed as the perpetually shimmering blue cube. Softly, he spoke to no one but himself.

“I am Loki of Nowhere.”


	2. My Pillow is Home

Loki didn’t quite know how long he sat there, watching the meadow around him while he plucked blades of grass and twisted them up into knots with his fingers. The serenity of the place helped soothe the last bits of worry concerning Asgard that still lingered in his mind. He just quietly worried about Thanos finding him, but also knew that a bit of a roadblock had been put in the Mad Titan’s path. Still, he doubted the alien would be stopped for long; Thanos seemed to have plenty of resources to enact whatever plans he had. Either way, Loki had things he needed to attend to that didn’t pertain to the purple alien…Specifically his less than happy stomach.

He couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten, with how busy the past few hours had been. Grabbing the Tesseract, he stood up and eyed the cube again. While he suspected there was a stone hidden away inside of it, he didn’t know how to free it…Or if doing so would be wise. He didn’t know what’d happen should the stone be freed from its confinement. On the other hand, it’d certainly be easier to have the stone in a pendant or something similar instead of relying on the very obvious cube. Then again, he didn’t have anywhere to be, so he had time to figure something out.

The portal deposited him in a park that sat in the middle of a bustling city; quickly he placed the Tesseract in its own little pocket dimension as he cast an illusion to hide his somewhat grimy appearance. A ship roared overhead, causing him to look up and watch as it slowed its engines to land at the nearby port. An active spaceport meant plenty of places to eat and rest. While still capable of traveling and fighting, Loki could feel the exhaustion creeping in. Even demigods needed to eat and rest.

It didn’t take him long to find a place that offered both food and housing. The alien that took his order barely seemed to acknowledge him beyond making sure he’d paid the right amount. This was completely different from what he was used to on Asgard. He would have been greeted by his full name and title. His food would have been given priority over everyone else’s. Oh, how he’d fallen from grace. Then again, he hadn’t really been in grace for some time, now had he?

His inclination towards magic instead of physical fighting had caused him unending hell from others, including Odin. While anyone could fight, it tended to be women who wielded strong magic. Admittedly, the ability to channel magic could be a trait of any sex, but women just tended to take to casting spells better for whatever reason. Of course, his inclination towards being fluid with his gender likely played a part with his abilities in magic. While no one cared about his gender fluidity, they _had_ cared about him being more interested in being in the library with his nose in a book than in the practice arena smacking someone around with a weapon.

The sound of his food being set down in front of him drew him out of his thoughts and he gave the person a faint nod of thanks before he started eating. Loki found himself feeling more and more conflicted. The sudden idea of freedom honestly felt heavier than any of his duties on Asgard had ever been. It felt…Overwhelming, if he was honest with himself. Despite having the freedom to go anywhere in the galaxy, he had no idea what to do with himself.

His chest suddenly felt tight with anxiety at the realization of how truly alone he really was. Certainly, he’d slipped off on his own many, many times before in the past. However, if he previously got into trouble, he’d always had the ability to call for Heimdall to find him or return to his Mother to seek advice. Hell, there’d even been Thor to rely on. Now, he had none of that. While the idea of Heimdall potentially being able to see him concerned him, Loki felt confident that he’d be able to escape any Asgardians sent after him.

After getting a drink, he sighed and tried to shift his thoughts onto what he _needed_ to do. That would give him a good starting place instead of worrying about what he _could_ do. Right now, he needed to finish eating, go to his room, and get himself cleaned up. Then he could reevaluate things and decide his next step. Getting himself worked up over his newfound freedom was, arguably, a stupid thing for him to do.

Once he finished his meal, Loki trekked upstairs to his rented room and immediately beelined it to the bathroom to take a bath. While Hulk’s attack hadn’t severely injured him, he still felt sore in places from essentially being slammed around like a toy by a child throwing a temper tantrum. Honestly, it was his ego that’d taken the worst beating. Still, the warm water felt enjoyable and helped soothe the lingering aches in his shoulders. Admittedly, he didn’t know how much of the pain was from being thrown around and how much came from sheer tension.

As he washed the grime from his face, he suddenly felt stupid at the idea that presented itself and wondered why he hadn’t thought of it sooner. He had access to an entire galaxy worth of culture. Libraries, museums, theater, and all other manner of things of that nature. Loki tilted his head back to lightly tap it against the wall behind him to chastise himself for not thinking of this idea sooner. To be fair to himself, he thought, he _had_ gone through something hellish.

Still, it gave him a good direction to start and he figured that it’d keep him fairly busy. At least for a while, anyway. Loki always had a way of getting himself in trouble…But now? He had the Tesseract to whisk him out of trouble if he needed to escape. Smiling to himself, he sunk down into the water a bit more and mused over what he might want to see, first.

When the water had cooled and his finger tips had wrinkled, Loki dragged himself out of the tub. The sudden wave of exhaustion caused him to scowl a bit since he’d intended to try and find out where he wanted to go. Perhaps it’d be better to wait until the morning. He exchanged his clothes from earlier for something clean and then dressed.

He had a limited amount of supplies tucked away in little magical pocket dimensions. While not substantial, it was enough to get him by in emergencies. Still, he knew he’d have to get different clothes at some point. As much as he hated the idea, wearing Asgardian clothes would simply make him stand out. Normally, he liked being at the center of attention and having everyone’s focus on him, but Loki also knew he had to blend in or risk being found.

He settled on the bed after turning off the light and stared up at the ceiling. There were so many things he needed to do in order to get his new life set up. Though, he wasn’t sure if it the idea of constantly moving around without anywhere to call home could really be considered a life. He rubbed the side of his face and sighed. Obviously, he was reading far too much into things; he needed to focus on one thing at a time.

Loki opened his eyes and stared at the window in front of him before slowly pulling arm out from under his pillow, then rolling onto his back. The dawn of a new day. One without Thanos lording over him, no duties to attend to, no one to greet him by name. He carefully stretched and made a face at the stiff muscles in his upper back. Finally, he sat up and carefully ran a hand over the muscles that still complained in order to heal them. It took a bit more energy and focusing than if he were healing someone else, but he felt satisfied when the discomfort vanished.

After breakfast, he didn’t immediately leave the city and instead chose to explore. He didn’t have a timeline and since he was interested in the cultural arts, figured he could start with the city he’d landed in. Unfortunately, the city offered him less than what he was interested in and he soon found himself stepping into the Tesseract’s portal. This time, he stepped out into a city that had been tastefully built around the idea of incorporating nature as much as possible.

Loki slowly meandered around the city, lost in wonder at the exotic flowers and ivy-covered walkways. He’d forgotten about his initial idea of viewing the museum and instead found himself captivated by the architecture of the city. Eventually, he found himself at the central plaza were the main attraction was a statue standing in the middle of a fountain. The statue seemed to be made of white stone and was of a sexless figure, holding a jug of some sort, leaning over to pour water out of the jug. He admired the sculpture for a moment before drifting over to one of the vendors to purchase himself lunch.

This ended up being the norm for the next month. Loki rarely spent more than a day or two on a planet. He’d show up, wander around, see the sights, eat the food, and rent himself a room for the night. The exception to this was when he spent a week on Relmyria due to some sort of cultural festival going on. Unlike some worlds, the people that lived on the world welcomed him with open arms. They didn’t care about his relative ignorance about the festival and happily told him of its origin, the mythology behind it, and what it signified today.

Gradually, he adapted to the idea of his home being wherever he happened to sleep for the night. Essentially, he’d turned himself into a wanderer. Honestly, he didn’t really think that it was half bad. For the first time, in a long time, Loki felt happy. While nightmares plagued him, he enjoyed the overall freedom his day to day activities brought him. Deep down, however, he still worried about Thanos or Asgardian agents finding him. As he always did, he tried to reassure himself that between his magic and the Tesseract, he’d be able to escape without issue.

That being said, Loki found himself immensely surprised that no one so far, to his knowledge, had come looking for him. He really, really didn’t know if he should consider it a good thing or a bad thing. Thanos, at least, would probably have a hard time finding him. But Asgard? Surely Heimdall would be able to see him and direct people to find him. Maybe it was one of those things he shouldn’t question. For the moment, he’d managed to escape any and all attention. He just needed to keep his head ducked and hope that it stayed that way.

Two months after New York and Loki had given up on the idea of anyone looking for him. Things had been quiet, save for the occasional bar fight that he might have inadvertently started…And won. Ignoring that, he’d crafted an impressive list of places he wanted to visit or return to at a later date. With there being so many planets in the galaxy, he had no shortage of places to visit. On the other hand, he couldn’t shake the sensation that something was going to happen. However, he tried to explain away the feeling as lingering anxiety from his nightmares.

But the sensation always appeared when he used the Tesseract. Initially, he wondered if it had some sort of tracking spell on it, but he examined it extensively and couldn’t find anything of that nature. Yet the sensation remained. It wasn’t overt, more of the feeling one might get after a bad day, a sort of ‘what fucking else could go wrong?’.

As he ate his lunch on a shady patio, Loki mused on what else he could check the Tesseract for. Perhaps he was just being a bit paranoid, but when it came to ancient, all powerful artifacts from space? He felt that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Someone sitting down across from him caused him to look up, an insulted demand on the tip of his tongue…But he froze before he could speak. The man sitting across from the table from him, at a glance, seemed inhumanly attractive with his dark brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and a hint of 5’o’clock shadow visible on lightly tanned skin. He was immaculately dressed, his clothes clearly expensive. They seemed more appropriate on a business man than a mid-twenties man who looked like he should be out clubbing.

By all accounts, Loki should have found the man highly attractive, but he seemed too…Perfect. There were no flaws to his skin, no scars, nothing. Every part of him seemed to be perfect; not even a stray hair was out of place. A sensation of fear began churning in Loki’s stomach and he glanced up to meet the man’s eyes.

He suddenly wished that he hadn’t. Though dark brown and human enough, Loki felt like he was staring into an endless void that threatened to drag him down into the darkest parts of the universe…This man wasn’t human, Asgardian, or an agent of Thanos and gave Loki the very _distinct_ feeling that he could kill someone with a mere blink. Thanos has scared Loki on the basis of what he’d done. This man scared him on the basis of simply existing. Frigga had told him stories when he was a boy of infinitely powerful beings that lurked at the edges of the galaxy. Of course, he thought they were just that: stories. Then again, stories always had a grain of truth to them.

The man had a pleasant enough smile, though it seemed somewhat amused, and then he spoke. His voice was soft and the accent wasn’t one that Loki hadn’t ever heard, but it was what the man said that made a cold chill shoot down his spine.

“Hello, Loki. I believe you have something that…Interests me.”


	3. Of Gods and Jotunn

Carefully, Loki reviewed his options while struggling to keep a face of indifference up. Not only did this being know his name, he also seemed to know he held the Tesseract. For the moment, he chose to feign ignorance. “I’m afraid I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

This only seemed to make the man’s amusement worse and he laughed, before grinning. “Oh, don’t play stupid with me. I know who you are and what you have. You’ve only been popping around the galaxy for the…Mm, past two months or so.”

Rather than saying anything, Loki moved his hand to his leg as if he were wiping his hand or scratching an itch. Instead, he quietly summoned the Tesseract and all but launched himself backwards into the portal he opened. This deposited him on a balcony half covered with flowering ivies overlooking a bay. He quietly sighed and looked down at the cube in his hand.

“Please. You’re not going to be rid of me _that_ quickly.”

Loki spun around and found himself face to face with the man before. He had his hands clasped behind his back, a small smile on his face, and was quietly laughing. All and all, it reminded Loki of when he was a boy, had tried to hide from punishment, and had been quickly found in his hiding spot. “Who are you?”

“That depends on who you ask, I suppose.” The man gave a sharp grin before his form shifted into, what seemed to be, a black liquid before reforming into another man entirely. “I have many names. The people of…”

It didn’t take very long for Loki to tune the entity out entirely as the being rapidly shifted from form to form, male to female, from human to alien. After probably the fifteenth time, he finally interrupted and hoped that doing so wouldn’t cause his impending death. “Are you done yet?”

The entity paused and returned to the original form. “Ballsy, but I like that. My point is: wrong question.”

Already, Loki could tell that this was going to be a headache and irritatedly realized that this was likely how Thor felt when he’d been a pest…Sort of. His pestering had only brought the threat of hexes and minor stabbings. This brought the potential of death, if he was lucky. “Fine. What do you want?”

“Much better question. As you might be aware, that,” He gestured at the Tesseract that was still in Loki’s hands, “is an item of impressive power. There’s six in total, each with a unique ability. They’ve been used throughout galactic history and up until recently have been scattered throughout the galaxy. Now…The interesting thing is that two months ago, two of them just… _Poof_. Gone. Not a trace. At the same time, something else happened. A divergence, I think. You wouldn’t understand.”

This caused Loki to think back to New York, how something had felt off, but then he focused back on the entity. While curious on what was meant by ‘a divergence’, he was more concerned in the being’s apparent interest in him. “I didn’t have anything to do with it, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Indirectly? Mmm. Probably not. But you were there and you have one of the Stones. Speaking of.” He reached out to pluck the Tesseract out of Loki’s hand.

Immediately, Loki lashed out with his knife, only to find his wrist caught and held firmly before his knife even touched the man. It felt as if his wrist was encased in stone, and the cube ended up being taken from him anyway.

“Ooo. Feisty _and_ ballsy. I like that. It’s adorable in a sort of ‘dumb puppy’ way.” He released Loki’s wrist and stepped back to examine the cube. After a moment, he held the Tesseract up and squinted slightly. “Now, why’d they put you in there? Containment? Or maybe power direction?”

Sourly, Loki rubbed his wrist, then suddenly scrambled to catch the Tesseract when the man haphazardly tossed it over his shoulder towards him. With it safely back in his hands, he eyed the other. “I told you, I had nothing to do with the Stones disappearing.”

“Perhaps so, but you _were_ involved in bringing the Mind Stone to…Earth was it? Whatever.” He suddenly tilted his head to the side as he watched Loki. “…Interesting.”

He stiffened at the mention of the Mind Stone thanks to the memories it brought up of the torture he’d endured. “Then we agree that I wasn’t involved in their disappearance and you have no reason to be bothering me.”

“Oh, no no no…You see, this is the most interesting thing that's happened since the Asgardians decided to waggle their cocks in the galaxy's collective dinner plate a few thousand years ago. Like it or not, you have my attention." He returned to stand in front of Loki.

"And if I don't want your attention?" Loki asked, somehow feeling that he already knew the answer.

"...Well. I do whatever I damn well please. I _am_ a god, after all. Call yourself a god all you wish, but you still have a finite lifespan. When you're dead and turned to dust, I'll still remain the same as I've always been."

This caused Loki to press his lips together tightly. While he still feared the being in front of him, he couldn’t deny his curiosity…Something that had often caused him to get into trouble in the past. “You’re immortal, then?”

Lazily, the man turned to wander to the balcony railing and clasped his hands behind his back. “Maybe, maybe not. Others have died or been killed, so perhaps I can. I suppose I’ll find out, eventually.”

The other’s willingness to answer the questions asked so far emboldened Loki to ask more questions. “Then what are you?”

“Hm…” The entity tapped his finger on the railing, as if trying to decide if he wanted to answer the question. Finally, he turned around and leaned against the railing. “I am what the denizens of the galaxy call a Celestial.”

Loki took a few moments to consider this answer before promptly declaring, “Bullshit.”

This caused the man to raise an eyebrow and lightly gesture for Loki to continue.

“Celestials are supposed to be these massive, all powerful beings. Knowhere is the decapitated head of one, for example…But they’re extinct. No one’s heard of one existing in…Well, practically forever. I won’t deny that you’re powerful, I’d be stupid not to, but I doubt you’re a Celestial.” As soon as he finished speaking, Loki regretted it. The being in front of him looked annoyed, offended even. Suddenly, the other stood in front of him and Loki couldn’t be sure if he’d teleported or simply had superhuman speed. Both options were on the table with how little he knew about him.. “…Ah, shit.”

When he locked eyes with the man, Loki suddenly found himself floating in space. He was weightless, yet the silence around him made him feel that he’d go mad from the sound of his pulse in his ears. Oddly enough, he didn’t feel the need to breathe, which made him wonder if he actually _was_ in space. Still, he stared at the distant sun that made the ice rings of a lone gas giant glitter. Despite the silence that weighed down on him, he found the sight beautiful.

Everything spun and he found himself with his back towards the sun. Now, he faced the rest of the planets in the solar system. This struck him as odd. If he was close enough to see the gas giant, he shouldn’t have been able to see the rest of the planets. It defied more than a few scientific laws concerning gravity…Unless he wasn’t his usual size. Then again, he figured magic fuckery was at play.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness in front of him, he watched distant stars past the solar system wink out of existence. Then, one of the planets at the edge of the solar system seemed to disappear. That’s when he saw it. The _thing_ that made him feel tiny and insignificant and like a mote of dust on a solar wind. The _thing_ that dwarfed the largest gas giant in the system. The _thing_ that he knew, deep down, was the man he’d spoken to moments before.

Slowly, the thing undulated as it moved almost as if it were swimming through space. It was fluid yet still solid. He had no idea how it propelled itself, just that it moved with ease through the vacuum like a snake might effortlessly swim to the other side of a pond. In a way, it reminded him of Thanos’ Leviathans, just on a much more massive scale.

Truthfully, Loki would have been delighted to be shown such a sight…To see something so ancient and powerful. Something that had likely existed since the beginning of everything and had see the rise and fall of countless civilizations. Except this being had already declared an interest in him and he didn’t know if that would bode well for him.

Suddenly, he found himself back on the balcony and he instinctively scrambled away from the being in front of him, nearly tripping over a chair in the process. With his back firmly pressed against the wall, he stared at the very unassuming man in front of him. “How…”

“’How’ what? Use your words.” Gone was the look of annoyance.

“That…Was you, correct?”

“Yes.” He tilted his head, seemingly waiting for Loki to figure it out.

“But you’re also here…” Loki flicked his hand and sent the Tesseract back to where he kept it, then slowly crept back towards the man. Against his better judgement, he reached out to poke the other in the side of the head, but made an offended look when his hand was slapped away. “Is this an illusion?”

“Of course, you’d fall back on what you know. You’ve barely scratched the surface of what exists in the universe.” He gestured at himself. “No, this is quite real. Perhaps not flesh and blood like you, but it’s suitable for what I’m doing right now. I suppose if I want to dumb it down and be as literal as possible, this is a stringless flesh puppet.”

Loki ignored the insult to his magical abilities for the moment and thought over the answer he’d been given. “A very small fragment of yourself that you’re controlling telepathically, then? It wouldn’t be practical to essentially stuff yourself into something human sized…Or easy, I imagine.”

“Well.” He tilted his head again, this time in blatant surprise. “That was a far more detailed answer than what I was expecting, given your relative ignorance about magic.”

“I am _not_ ignorant about magic. I was raised by the strongest witch on Asgard and am a powerful magic user in my own right.”

“Illusions, hexes, and shapeshifting. That is such basic level magic. Look, I can do that too.”

The man in front of him suddenly shifted into the black, liquid substance from earlier and darted over Loki’s shoulder. When he turned around, he found himself staring at four perfect twins of himself. This really wasn’t how he planned on spending his afternoon and he glared at the four of them. “Stop that. I won’t be mocked.”

Three of his copies vanished and the remaining one reassumed the prior form. “Oh, you’re adorable. You really are. I’m fully willing to admit that Asgard is one of the most technologically advanced civilizations due to being able to harness magical energy, but they’re still paltry. They can only collect and redirect magic, but they can’t use it to create something from nothing. Nor can they manipulate the very fabric of matter.”

Loki quietly considered this for a moment, his mind churning through a hundred different questions. “So, if Celestials are so powerful, why did they create the Infinity Stones?”

“We didn’t.”

He stared at the man in front of him, unsure if he’d heard correctly…But the entity hadn’t lied to him, at least, to his knowledge. “Then who did?”

“I’ll leave that for another time. Can’t share _all_ the secrets of the galaxy in one go.” He slowly stepped backwards and returned to the balcony railing. “Besides. I have other things to attend to.”

“Wait. Can I at least have a name that I can call you?” Because Loki suspected that the entity would be coming back to bug him. The man only smiled and simply fell apart into nothing, leaving Loki as the only living thing on the balcony. He stood there for a moment and stared at the spot where the Celestial had previously been standing.

“…Asshole.”


	4. These Damned Memories

_Each of his nerves burned as if they’d been set on fire, but it was a cold fire. One that sunk into his very bones and threatened to consume him from the inside out. He didn’t know how long he’d endured the pain. It felt like hours, but he knew that it could easily be mere minutes. The pain seemed to intensify and Loki soundlessly screamed, his voice having failed him quite some time ago. Suddenly, the pain ceased, leaving him limp and too weak to do anything but lay there. Pathetically._

_The Other leered down at him and prodded him with the butt of the Scepter, seemingly to check to see if he still lived. Loki wished that it’d killed him. In front of him, Thanos lazed on his throne, seeming almost bored. “Continue. He hasn’t broken, yet.”_

_Loki rasped out something in attempt to beg for it to stop, but either his voice was too soft, or they simply didn’t care. The Other jabbed the tip of the Scepter into his chest again, and he felt himself arch up from the pain that suddenly radiated outwards from where the weapon pierced his skin. He didn’t know what Thanos wanted with him, why the alien hadn’t simply killed him._

_The tip of the Scepter was suddenly twisted and Loki managed to scream._

Loki woke himself up from the guttural yell he made, the sound thick and distorted from sleep paralyzed muscles. He sucked in air and coughed before forcing himself onto his back so he could search his room for danger. His heart pounded in his chest and all of his instincts screamed that he was in danger.

The only movement in the room came from the shadows that danced on the far wall from the half-opened curtain, while they were twisted and monsterlike, they ultimately were harmless. Slowly, he released his clenched grasp on his blankets and pushed himself up onto his elbows; his fingertips ached from how tightly he’d clutched the fabric.

After a moment, he sat up fully and covered his face with his hands while he tried to calm his pounding heart; he hated the subtle tremor to his hands and slowly began to realize that his entire body was shaking. Finally, he eased out of the bed and slowly made his way to the bathroom. There, he flipped on the light and immediately squinted in pain at the brightness.

Momentarily blinded, he felt his way over to the sink and turned on the water to wash his face. By the time he finished, his eyes had adjusted enough for him to stare at his reflection in the mirror. Pale and with his brows knitted tightly together out of stress. Frankly, he felt much worse than he looked.

He dried his face and walked out of the bathroom, to the door that opened out onto the balcony. The city, though lit up, seemed quiet. Although that could have been because of the noise dampening material the hotel was made out of. Loki opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony in hopes of calming the adrenaline that raged through his veins.

The cool breeze felt nice against his still feverish skin. As he’d suspected, the city was quiet; it was the middle of the night, after all. He sighed as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the top of the short, stone wall. Loki suddenly hung his head and dug his fingers into his hair, but restrained himself from tugging on his hair out of sheer anxiety. Despite having healed from the torture long ago, he could still feel the lingering ghosts of the pain.

Everything felt raw and sensitive to the touch. While a part of him knew the thought was overly dramatic, he half wondered if he’d recoil away in pain if someone touched him. Releasing his hair, he looked back up at the city in front of him. He should have found the sight beautiful, with the lit-up buildings and the holographic advertisements. Instead, he found no joy in it; he found himself wishing he hadn’t survived the fall from the Rainbow Bridge. After all, the fall had delivered him right into Thanos’ metaphorical lap.

Loki stood there for a bit longer before stepping back inside and changing into something more appropriate for wandering around the city. He doubted that he’d be able to fall back asleep with how the adrenaline hadn’t faded from his system, and the idea of staying in the hotel room made his chest clench in anxiety. The spacious room he’d rented felt claustrophobic and restrictive to the point of it feeling like it was closing in on him.

Being on the street didn’t sooth how he felt in the least bit. Instead, he felt jittery and found himself glancing over his shoulder in paranoia, as if Thanos or The Other would suddenly step out of the shadows to attack him. The thought was preposterous and ludicrous to the extreme. Neither of the aliens were here, and even if they were, he had the Tesseract. His logical thinking went ignored by his nightmare addled mind that latched onto the idea of Thanos finding him again, what he’d do to him for failing...

He suddenly sat down on a bench thanks to how his chest had abruptly started hurting. It felt hard to breathe, almost as if he’d been running, but it felt more like something heavy had decided to sit on his chest. Loki sucked in air and then coughed. Each breath felt like a struggle and he simply _couldn’t_ get enough air, no matter how much he tried. Slowly, he leaned over and buried his face in his hands as he struggled to breath. He felt hot and feverish like he’d just woken from a nightmare, despite the cool temperatures and slight breeze.

Finally, he just focused on the idea of breathing, in and out. Just breathing while he tried to push away the anxious thoughts and replace them with logical truth. Thanos wasn’t here, nor was The Other; they were someplace far, far away. Likely stewing over the fact that a bunch of Midgardians had defeated their monstrous army. To add to this, the Tesseract was in his possession, which meant he could escape to the other side of the galaxy at a moment’s notice. Thanos, even with his boundless resources, wouldn’t be able to get to the other side of the galaxy very quickly.

Loki sighed and opened his eyes as the anxious feelings finally passed. It left him feeling empty and bitter. He honestly didn’t want to be roaming from place to place for the rest of his life. If anything, he wanted to go home to Asgard. Yet, he knew he couldn’t. He was wanted and very likely a branded criminal, now. No place to call his own…He really _was_ Loki of Nowhere, wasn’t he?

He sat on the bench for a little bit longer before finally pushing himself up to his feet to continue his wanderings. Rather than focusing on Thanos and his minions, Loki tried to shift his thoughts onto the Celestial. Considering the surreality of the meeting, he still wasn’t sure if it hadn’t been some sort of fever dream. Celestials were supposed to be extinct, to be mythology, and things of story books…Not beings that still existed and roamed around. The fact that one had developed an interest in him? Loki didn’t know if he should be flattered or terrified.

Despite his apprehension, he couldn’t deny his curiosity. Especially since a week had passed without the entity reappearing. Perhaps it was just a one-time meeting, but the Celestial’s words had made it sound otherwise. Then again, what was he compared to machinations of an all-powerful entity? The being likely had planets to look over and barely sentient races to nudge into a semblance of intelligence…Or he might have left to attend some fancy party, Loki wouldn’t dare attempt to claim he knew what went on in the being’s mind. Likely, he wouldn’t be able to understand it. Just seeing the Celestial swimming through space had been enough of a mindfuck, if he was honest with himself.

By this point, the sky had begun to lighten with the steadily rising sun, prompting the slumbering city to slowly awaken. It left him wondering what he’d do for the rest of the day. While going back to the motel room and trying to get more sleep was a possibility, he just felt concerned about having another nightmare. So, he continued walking. As he made his way to a plaza, Loki watched people open up their food carts and he drifted over to one in order to inquire about when they’d be open.

The elderly alien gave him a wide smile, the corners of his eyes wrinkling from decades of mirth. “Usually I don’t open for another hour since I’m getting everything ready for the day…But if you don’t mind waiting for the oil to heat, I can make you something.”

“No, I don’t mind. Thank you.”

“Night shifter, or are you one of those that can’t sleep past dawn?” The alien was clearly the chatty sort and worked on setting his cooking equipment up as he spoke.

Loki hesitated a moment before he replied. “No…I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a walk instead of staring at my ceiling. The city’s different at night.”

“Ah, offworlder, are you?”

“Yes, I am. I suppose I haven’t gotten used the time difference.” He glanced towards the cart at the smell of cooking meat.

“That’ll get’cha every time.” He laughed. “I used to travel a lot when I was younger. Went from planet to planet to sell personal race crafts. Made good money, but I hated the need to sell so many of the crafts on each planet. Got stressful. So, I quit and decided to be a cook. Don’t make nearly as much money, but I like it better.”

While Loki didn’t particularly care about the alien’s life story, he put on a neutral face and nodded politely at the appropriate times. Finally, he took the food and drink he’d ordered. The meal was a thin piece of fried bread that’d been wrapped around some type of fried meat. Both of those had been wrapped around a mixture of egg, a grain that tasted spicy, and vegetables. The drink was some sort of milk-tea that, while absurdly sweet, had a significant amount of caffeine in it. While it probably wasn’t wise to drink such a potent beverage, Loki didn’t particularly care at the moment.

He paid the alien, murmured his thanks and left to go find a quiet bench to sit on while he ate his breakfast. Honestly, he never ceased to be amazed at the wide variety of food that he encountered on the different worlds. Certainly, some of them had borrowed from other cultures, but for the most part, each one had their own unique cuisine. Loki absolutely loved it and always looked forward to trying different things on each of the worlds he landed on.

Rather than finding a bench, Loki settled for a small table by the river. It gave him a nice view of the local wildlife and seemed to be fairly peaceful. Someone sat down across from him and he looked up, expecting the Celestial. Instead, he froze at the sight of his Mother. While he knew she was an illusion, he couldn’t deny his happiness at seeing her. “Mother.”

Frigga sighed and gave him a sad smile. “I knew you weren’t dead, but…Why?”

“I assume you mean Earth?” At her nod, he looked down at his meal and simply shook his head, unwilling to explain what had happened to him. While he knew she’d believe him, he feared being compared to Thor.

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened, Loki.” She hesitated before continuing. “Odin wants to imprison you if you return. I can’t defend you without knowing what happened.”

“I’m not returning, Mother.” Loki looked up. “I’m well aware that Father is gleeful at the idea of throwing me into the dungeon. You know as well as I do that he never liked me and always looked for reasons to…Dispose of me.”

“Loki…”

“Why did you lie to me, Mother? All these years, I was told I was Asgardian…That I had an equal chance at the throne, that I was your _son_.” He hated the burn of the tears in his eyes, but he wanted answers…Needed them. “Why didn’t you tell me that I was one of _them_?”

Frigga took a deep breath and sighed. “That was Odin’s doing. He wanted to keep the truth from you while I wanted to tell you. I chose to go with his wishes because I feared the chaos it might cause. Though you may not have been born on Asgard, you were raised there and are considered Asgardian by that right. Furthermore, I consider and have always considered you my son. It’s true that I’m not your mother by blood, but I raised you as mine and love you just as much as Thor. I never cared that you were a Jotunn, I just knew that you’d been left to die and I found the thought of a parent doing that to be abhorrent.”

Wordlessly, Loki nodded before taking a small sip of his drink to gauge the temperature, then took a larger sip once deeming it a safe temperature. “I wish you would have told me.”

“Looking back, I should have. Still, who you are won’t change how much I love you…But are you sure you don’t want to come home?”

“I’m sure. I don’t think it’d go well if I did.” Loki wanted to, but his fear of losing his freedom was more powerful than his desire to be home again. He gave a faint smile. “Besides, I have a list of museums I want to visit.”

Frigga laughed softly. “At least you’re staying busy. Are you safe, though?”

He nodded, “Yes.”

For the time being, he decided that it’d be best to remain quiet about the Celestial. Given that he didn’t know if the entity would return or not, he didn’t think it would be worth mentioning. If the being continued popping up, then he’d consider the idea of asking his Mother for advice. “I’m fine, Mother, I promise.”

She gave him a look that said that she didn’t quiet believe him, but finally nodded. “Good. If you need me, you know how to find me.”

When his Mother’s illusion vanished, Loki quietly sighed. He hated being dishonest with her, but knowing her? She already knew he was hiding things from her. No matter what he did or how much he tried, she always seemed to know. Perhaps it was something that came with being a parent, or maybe she was simply that intuitive. Either way, it eased some of his worries to know that she wasn’t angry at him, only concerned.

He looked down at his breakfast and frowned at how it had cooled off a bit during the conversation. It didn’t really matter, to be honest. He’d gotten the answers to several questions that’d been rolling around in his head, but it’d also resulted in the generation of many more. However, Loki figured he’d get the answers to them in due time.

After eating and throwing away his trash, he continued meandering the city, choosing to visit several art galleries. While he saw many paintings, sculptures, and other items of interest, he didn’t purchase any. He would have liked to, but he presently didn’t have anywhere to display them. They were too beautiful to waste away in a pocket dimension and so he left them for someone else.

Later in the day, when he returned back to his hotel room, Loki was already entertaining the idea of where he wanted to visit next. Early on, he’d decided to ping pong around the galaxy rather than staying in a single solar system. Some of the larger ones could house multiple planets capable of sustaining life, each with their own unique culture. While it’d make sense to simply remain in a solar system and see all the sights, he still remained concerned about the idea of being found. Because of this ‘rule’ he’d already decided that the next place he visited would be on the other side of the galaxy.

However, thanks to his lack of sleep, Loki decided to wait till morning. As it was, he could barely keep his eyes open during dinner. After changing for bed, he climbed in with a yawned and settled down to sleep.

_Loki stood on the balcony of his chambers and stared out at Asgard. The city glittered in the morning light and he smiled at the beauty of it. It was honestly good to be back home, despite everything that’d happened. Slowly, the sunlight dulled as a cloud passed over the sun. When the light continued to dull, he looked towards the sun to see if there was a storm brewing._

_Instead, he saw the true form of the Celestial oozing across the sky. He stood there, frozen as it opened what might pass for a mouth. It was an endless maw of darkness, something so deep that light had no hope of escaping. He could only watch as the ancient being swallowed Asgard whole like a giant snake of legend._

The clap of thunder startled him awake. Apparently, the material the hotel was made out of didn’t dampen _everything_. Loki sighed loudly and got out of bed, then walked to the balcony door. He expected it to be dark out, just like the prior night, but found himself pleasantly surprised to see that it was midmorning. Despite the dream of the Celestial consuming Asgard, he felt decently rested.

Still, he wasn’t happy at having nightmares two nights in a row and his mood soured a bit despite the serenity of watching the rain roll down the windows. It made him wonder if he’d ever have a peaceful night’s rest again.


	5. Wait, What?

“I’ve always enjoyed how rain seems to dampen the sounds of just about everything.”

Loki jumped at the sudden words and turned around to face the Celestial. He wore different clothes, this time. They weren’t as fancy as before and instead seemed to be more for comfort than looks. In his hand, he held a bowl of some type of fruit pudding that he was apparently eating. This confused Loki a bit, considering the being’s words a week ago. “I thought your body wasn’t flesh and blood?”

The entity looked up with the spoon still hanging out of his mouth. He pulled it out of his mouth and used it to point at Loki. “Your lack of knowledge is absolutely adorable, you realize? Yes, the prior body I made wasn’t flesh and blood. This one, is. I need something that simulates a nervous system if I’m wanting to enjoy food, after all.”

Once more, he found himself annoyed at the insult to his intelligence. Then again, Loki supposed that it made sense. It’d be like trying to explain the technology behind the Rainbow Bridge to a Midgardian. Still, he could help but feel sour over the truth in the Celestial’s words: he honestly didn’t have the knowledge to understand. How could he hope to understand the perspective of a being who interacted with the world through something that was essentially a puppet. “So, when you eat…Is it because you need to in order to keep the body alive or because you want to?”

“Want to. I don’t really need to eat.” He gestured at the bowl in his hand. “I’ll absorb it all the same, but…Honestly? It won’t make much difference.”

“What about the you-you? The one I saw in space.”

“That’s a bit different.” He made a soft noise and seemed to consider something. “Space isn’t clean. There’s always these little fragments of _something_ floating around. Debris from some destroyed planet, remnants of a space battle, asteroid fields, you get the gist. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to avoid everything. So, whatever bumps into me sticks, I absorb it, break it down into something usable, and that’s that. Most of the time, I just find a decently sized sun and park myself in front of it since I don’t really need to eat, per say, I just need to absorb energy.”

Last night’s nightmare still echoed in Loki’s mind and he wanted to know if the entity could do such a thing. “So, what if a planet happens to get in your way, what then?”

“I avoid it? I tend to frequent dead solar systems anyway, that is, ones that hold no significant life…Bacteria notwithstanding. Oh, I’ve munched on the occasional planet, but just the ones that are no better than a glorified, giant rock.” He shrugged and finished off his pudding. “Overall, I keep myself hidden and out of sight. I’m content for the galaxy at large to think my race and I are gone.”

Loki felt a sense of relief at that information. Then again, he knew the dream had simply been a product of stress, but it felt nice to have concrete evidence. Sure, the Celestial could easily be lying to him, but so far, hadn’t given any indication of doing such. “Since you, apparently, have a vested interested in me, may I at least have a name that I can call you? I’m assuming that you’re going to be popping up at random for the foreseeable future.”

“You wouldn’t be wrong.” Rather than immediately offering a name, the being shifted his attention to his empty pudding bowl and worked on scraping the last bits of food that stuck to the sides before looking back up. “The issue with names is that they’re bulky, unwieldly, and a pain in the ass for most to pronounce.”

“I’m capable of AllSpeak, you realize.”

The Celestial gave a sudden, sharp grin and spoke. Loki’s eyes widened when he realized he couldn’t understand a single thing said. The language seemed consonant heavy and he couldn’t discern any obvious differences between words, only a slight pause after what, he assumed to be, the end of a sentence. “I…Can’t understand you.”

“Yeah, AllSpeak is funny that way. It can translate practically any language in the galaxy, even if it’s a dead language. When faced with Celetialese, or whatever you want to call it?” He made a vague gesture. “It just gives up. Thus, Celestials usually picked a pseudoname of some sort. Maybe a title to go along with it, if they were particularly grandiose. I suppose you can call me ‘Eury’. Very simplified version of my name.”

Quietly, Loki nodded. The more the Celestial, or rather, Eury spoke, the more questions he had. He glanced at the window beside him to give himself a moment to organize his thoughts. Since the entity didn’t really seem malicious, he wanted to find out as much as he could about him. Looking back, “So, how many Celestials are there?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve only met one other and…Well, we didn’t get along too terribly well.” Eury laughed. “I adored her, she wanted to eviscerate me. Truth be told, I don’t think she liked anything but the critters she made. Weird little telepathic bug things. Regardless, I’ve heard of a handful of other Celestials, but I don’t really think there were many of us to begin with.”

“You keep mentioning them in past tense, are they all dead?”

Eury set the empty bowl of pudding on the table and made a half smile. “I think a better idea would be for you to answer some of my questions, given that I’ve answered plenty of yours. Now, I might be all powerful, but I’m not all knowing. Bit of a difference there. I’ve done some digging around and found out that you were involved in some invasion force on Earth, coincidently, there were three Infinity Stones there at the same time: the Mind Stone, the Time Stone, and the Space Stone. The latter of which is presently contained in that blue cube you’re carting around. Now, you don’t exactly seem like the sort to just randomly invade somewhere, and frankly, I don’t care that you did. What you little plebeians do in your spare time isn’t my concern. What _does_ concern me, is two of the three stones I mentioned, vanishing…As in, they’re no longer in existence. While I don’t think you were directly involved, I think you have some knowledge.”

Loki froze at the Celestial’s words. He had no desire to talk about Thanos, what had been done to him, or anything of that nature. Besides, he didn’t know what the alien wanted with the Infinity Stones, so he thought he was fairly limited on what sort of useful information he could tell Eury. “I’ve already told you: I wasn’t involved in their disappearance.”

“Maybe, but you were in the general area when they vanished.” Eury sighed. “The hard way, then.”

Before he could react, the being stood in front of him and grabbed the side of his head. Loki’s eyes widened as he felt the other worm into his mind, a cold, sickly darkness. It terrified him to his core and all he could think about was what The Other had done to him. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his chest and Eury guided him towards a chair.

“Easy. Don’t have a heart attack, there. It shouldn’t hurt.”

“ _Shouldn’t_?” Loki gasped out, his chest aching from how hard his heart pounded. He felt more coldness work its way into his chest and his heartrate gradually slowed. After a moment, he could breath again. When he spoke, he hated how his voice cracked from the fear he felt. “Just let me go.”

“Well, if you keep fighting me, yes, it probably won’t feel very nice. If you won’t tell me, then I need to see for myself. Probably better that way since it’s faster.”

He didn’t get another chance to respond when he found himself dragged down into darkness. It wasn’t unconsciousness where the time change was instantaneous. Instead, it felt dreamlike…Except he grimly watched his memories flip past him.

_A Jotunn? Interesting._

Every so often, Eury would pause on a memory, likely to examine it. Whatever the Celestial was doing, he hated it. Bit by bit, he watched his memories flick towards the moment where he fell from the Rainbow Bridge and the torture that would follow. He wanted to close his eyes, he didn’t want to see it or relive the agony. Instead, he stood there, frozen, waiting for the sensation of his nerves combusting…And the pain never came, much to his relief. Still, he didn’t want the being to see any of this, to see how he’d been pathetically weak and eventually broken.

_Even the strongest material in the universe has a breaking point. It’s merely a matter of finding it._

The memories paused when he stood in front of Thanos, receiving his orders to attack Earth with the Chitauri army. A sudden sense of curiosity that wasn’t his own surrounded him.

 _Oh, it’s **this**_ _asshole. He’s been wandering around the galaxy for a while now, killing half the population of each planet…And he’s wanting to gather the Infinity Stones. I wonder why. Either way, with two missing he’s a bit out of luck._

Once more, the memories began playing back and Loki found him surprised at how much he’d missed. He’d been so focused on getting the Tesseract that he hadn’t paid attention to much else. The memories began flipping faster but slowed after his capture.

_Here. This is where the divergence begins…Well. Look at that._

It took Loki a moment to see what Eury had spied and he immediately felt baffled. Why was there a second Stark? He just felt immensely confused about it and watched as the memory was carefully fiddled with, going back and forth in an attempt to get a better look at things. It really wasn’t much, just part of the man’s face as he peered around the corner, but it was enough to know who he was.

 _No, I think that’s the best I can do. You were really at the wrong angle to see him…But that’s Stark, just older, it seems._ _Well. Shit._

The somewhat surprised tone to the Celestial’s ‘voice’ caught him off guard. What could possibly have surprised an all-powerful entity? The memories continued to play up until he ducked into the Tesseract’s portal. Loki opened his eyes and found himself back in his hotel room. Carefully, Eury pulled his hand back from Loki’s head and peered down at him, seemingly concerned.

“Just stay sitting down. You’re liable to fall over if you try to stand up.”

Loki rubbed the spot on his chest where Eury had touched him. It felt somewhat tender, but he didn’t seem to have any noticeable injuries. Somewhat baffled, he watched the other pace a large circle around the room. Clearly, whatever the Celestial had learned, had ruffled some metaphorical feathers. “Dare I ask?”

Immediately, Eury moved to stand in front of him, but crouched down. “Okay. So. Time. Constant thing, always moves forward, past can’t be changed, it’s linear. Anyone with even a single brain cell knows this.” He held out his hand and gestured, prompting an illusion of a rope to appear. “But it’s this weird…Thing, because at any one time, there’s an infinite number of possible futures and it’s always changing because of the choices made. But, _you can’t change the past_.”

Slowly, Loki leaned forward. “Are you trying to say…The second Stark in my memories was from the future?”

Eury poked the rope, causing it to display different memories, then swiped at it in order to make it longer so it could show more memories. “Maybe. Actually, probably. Because if he was a shapeshifter, he would have chosen to look like Stark, not an older version of him.” He kept manipulating the rope, then squinted as he poked the rope again. “There were several different Divergences, actually, all within about fifteen minutes of each other. I…Think things were supposed to go a lot differently.”

“Do you know how?”

“No. But you’re one of the Divergences, which makes me wonder if you were meant to escape.” Eury touched the rope again, causing a part of it to twist away and form its own strand. “I think…We exist in our own little time line and I think that for us, the two Infinity Stones are gone for good. I’m only theorizing, here, but…”

Loki stared at the rope in front of him, attempting to process what he’d been told. “When I was in the lobby, I felt something. It felt off, and I still don’t know how to describe it.”

“Perhaps it’s because you diverged away from your original future. I don’t really know, if I’m honest. It’s a bit much, even for me. Still, I wonder how they did it. I’m going to have to think about it for a while.” Eury mused as he stared at the rope. Finally, he waved his hand, causing the illusion to fall apart. “Either way, I suspect whatever Thanos has planned has hit a dead end. I’m still not sure what to do about him, however.”

“You can’t possibly be thinking about doing something about him. He’s…” Loki trailed off at the raised eyebrow glance he was given, then he sighed. “…And you’re an all-powerful, ancient entity…”

Slowly, he got up to his feet, mindful of the earlier warning. When nothing happened, he walked to the small fridge in the corner in order to reheat the leftovers of the prior night’s food. “I thought you didn’t care about what happened to us ‘plebians’.”

“I don’t, but you’re a bit of an adorable kicked puppy who happens to be playing around with an Infinity Stone…And well, I haven’t had any pets for a while, plus he’s already been annoying me for a while. We’ll see. I haven’t made up my mind just yet.”

“What do you mean, ‘pet’?” Loki demanded, not at all thrilled with the notion.

“Exactly what I said. Anyway, try not to lose any limbs while you’re using the Space Stone.”

“Yes, but what do you me—” He sighed when Eury abruptly vanished. “This is going to be annoying…”


	6. But Wait, There's More

Eury’s statement about an alternate timeline remained bouncing around in Loki’s for the next few days. Just trying to reason it out left him confused and often with a headache. It often made him wonder how his future would have gone, since the Celestial’s words implied that he wasn’t supposed to have gotten the Tesseract. Likely, he would have arrived on Asgard and either been sentenced to death or thrown into the dungeons. The latter option seemed the most likely.

Still, the idea of multiple timelines caused him to think about some of the more unorthodox research that had been done on Asgard. Asgardians had always theorized about the idea of multiple universes, and suggested that’s where the feeling of Déjà vu came from. Precognition existed in a select few, certainly, but Déjà vu could strike anyone. There were some schools of thought that insisted that the moment of Déjà vu was when something major had happened in another universe that didn’t happen in this one. This idea was often found laughable, but now he wondered if there was actual merit to it.

Slowly, Loki turned the Tesseract with a finger. The energy that seemed to dance under the surface of the cube always mesmerized him, and he never knew why. Perhaps it had to do with the unlimited energy the Infinity Stone contained. He still wondered where the Stones came from, if the Celestials hadn’t created them. After staring at the cube for a bit longer, he flicked it back into the pocket dimension where he kept it and then stood. Enough musing, he had a play to get to.

Pelea’s inhabitants were strange. While they welcomed off planet visitors and were fairly busy when it came to trade, they utterly refused to leave their planet. So, despite being of space age technology, very, very few Peleaians had ever left their planet. Those that had, tended to be criminals. Frankly, Loki couldn’t grasp the idea of having an entire galaxy to explore and being content to stick to one world. However, he suspected that it had to do with their anatomy and physiology.

The low gravity of Pelea had allowed its inhabitants to evolve in strange, wonderous ways. As he meandered down the walkway designed for visitors, Loki stared out the windows in wonder at the thin trunked trees that seemed to reach hundreds of meters into the air. They bent and swayed in such absurd ways that he felt certain that they’d snap at the base. None of them ever did and they always popped upright once the wind had slowed.

Much like the trees of the planet, the Peleaians were tall, spindly creatures. They navigated the low gravity gracefully and with ease where someone used to heavier gravity would be clumsy and liable to fall on their face. However, any Peleaian he saw within the visitor walkways always wore some sort of environmental suit. It made him wonder if their skeletal structure simply didn’t have the strength to handle the sort of gravity that most of the universe found normal.

Loki had purposely left a bit early since he knew he’d want to meander a bit on his way to the amphitheater. As with every planet he’d visited, Pelea’s civilization had their own unique brand of architecture. Rather than being solid, the weight bearing columns tended to be made up of almost a lattice that’d been carefully constructed to evenly disperse the weight of the building. It also allowed flowerbeds filled with climbing plants to be placed the base of the columns, giving the illusion of the buildings being supported by plants. While he wanted to explore further, Loki ignored this idea in favor of getting to the amphitheater on time. He could always explore more after the play had ended.

While normally fascinated by plays, he found himself bored by the one he’d selected to watch. The story, itself, sounded interesting, but the actors were less than appealing. They moved stiffly and delivered their lines halfheartedly. Frankly, a turtle could have been a better actor. It made him regret purchasing such an expensive seat, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to suffer through the play or just leave to find something more entertaining.

He sat there for a few minutes, fiddling with some paper he’d been handed when he walked into the amphitheater. Finally, he gestured at the lead actor and quickly casted an illusion, turning the man into a giant cock. The opposing actress took a sudden step back, and the crowd around him gasped. Loki stifled a laugh at how the cock turned towards the crowd, head bobbing a bit. If anything, it’d made the play quite a bit livelier in that the other actors were trying to continue on while ignoring what’d happened.

The lead actor shuffled around the stage, before climbing up onto some stacked boxes. Frankly, the entire act seemed absurd, but Loki couldn’t help but laugh as the actor turned cock balanced precariously on top of the boxes. Carefully, Loki adjusted the illusion, knowing that the actor was supposed to make some speech. Instead of doing so, the illusioned cock flapped his wings and loudly crowed, drowning out anything the actor had to say. This startled the actor and he immediately fell off the boxes; Loki finally banished away the illusion with a cackle.

For the rest of the play, he entertained himself by casting various illusions. This included turning the actors as a whole into turtle-people, making the scenery come ‘alive’ and attempt to eat people, and turning the floor into lava. While he doubted the actors and other attendants enjoyed his hijinks, Loki certainly enjoyed it and really. That was all that mattered.

Finally, the amphitheater owner decided to end the play early and Loki joined the throng of people exiting the building. He still had a final illusion to cast, however. As an illusion of himself went one way, Loki continued in another. Not as a man, but a woman. It was easy to quickly shift into one form or another, and really, it was the smartest thing to do…Just incase someone had seen the illusions being cast. It was doubtful, but Loki felt the caution was still warranted. Besides, it might help to duck Eury for the time being. The interest the Celestial had was concerning.

While she didn’t deny that she was curious about the being, it just didn’t seem that it’d bode well. After all, in all of the books she’d ever read, they always warned of powerful beings that developed an interest in mortals. Despite her long life already and how much time she still had in front of her, she couldn’t deny Eury’s words. Compared to him, she _was_ a mortal. What was a thousand years to a being who’d existed since the start of the universe?

Loki stopped at railing that encircled a pond. The crystal-clear waters held brightly colored aquatic life that lazily swam; a holographic sign written in the five most common languages asked visitors not to feed the animals. With the play finished, Loki didn’t know what to do with the rest of her time. She didn’t feel hungry, nor did she feel inclined to return to her hotel and she didn’t feel like leaving just yet since she felt there were a number of places yet to visit.

“I’m not sure if this was an attempt to evade me or if you simply felt like being a woman.”

The Celestial’s voice caused her to quietly sigh and she glanced over at him as he joined her side, then watched as Eury leaned over to rest his arms on the railing.  She looked back to the pond with a slight frown. “Yes.”

“Good enough answer as any, I suppose.” Eury commented as he observed the creatures in the pond. “I finished thinking. While I still don’t know how Stark managed to time travel, I discovered weak spots in…For the sake of a simple explanation, the universe.”

“Stop treating me like a child.” While Loki acknowledged the Celestial’s vast experience, she still hated being treated like a stupid child. “I’m not stupid, nor am I ignorant. I’d appreciate it if you treated me as such.”

Eury sighed and turned to face her. “It’s not purposeful on my part. I perceive things differently than you. I…” He hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words. “As a general rule, humanoids such as yourself have five senses. Taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. Some will have a sixth sense, usually something where they can barely sense the energies that permeate the universe.”

She stared at him, impassively, already aware of what he was telling her. “Your point being?”

“I don’t see the world that way.” Eury suddenly laughed. “If I’m honest, I plain don’t see…At least, not like you do. I don’t have the five senses. I can’t see or hear or taste or any of that. Maybe long, long ago I could and I lost the ability at some point, but such senses have no purpose in space. Instead, I experience the universe through the energy that’s the life blood of the universe.”

“So, you experience the universe with your puppet?”

“In a sense. It lets me explore where I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. So…No. I’m not intentionally trying to belittle you. It’s simply a matter of me trying to translate something complex that I’ve experienced into spoken word.” Eury shrugged and looked back to the pond. “You’ll have to forgive me if I dumb something down too much.”

Loki tilted her head slightly to concede the point. “Considering what I saw of you, it makes sense that you’d experience things different than I would.”

“It’s also easy for me to forget that…Sometimes, the little insects running around can be quite intelligent.” Eury sighed loudly at the glare Loki gave him. “What now?”

“I am not an in—”

He interrupted her, “Tell me, Loki, how do you see these people around you? Midgardians, I believe the Asgardians call them. These people who know no magic and will only live a small fraction of your own life?”

“They’re interesting creatures, but ignorant when it…” Loki’s mouth snapped shut and she glared at the Celestial again. He simply had an amused smile and raised an eyebrow at her. Sourly, she looked away. “…You’ve made your point.”

“Again, I don’t intend to offend, nor do I use the term insect in the derogatory sense. Not all insects are pests and are in fact quite beautiful creatures. It’s merely a reference to our vastly different life spans.” He shrugged slightly. “My comments are benign, and you take offense far too easily.”

Loki didn’t have anything to say towards that and anything that she might say would only reference the insults Odin had thrown at her over the years. Instead, she opted to change the subject. “You mentioned having finished thinking?”

“Yes, the weak spots. They’re almost…Tears, I want to say. They shift and move around. I’ve never seen them before. All of them seem to bear the energy of the Infinity Stones. All of them, not just one…But it seems…Different.”

This led back to Loki’s thoughts earlier in the day and she briefly hesitated before speaking. “Is it possible that it’s the result of something that came from another universe?”

“Are you entertaining the idea of multiple universes?”

Loki squared her shoulders, expecting her suggestion to be rebutted. “Yes, I am. Asgardians have theorized the possibility for many centuries. Furthermore, I doubt someone would try to jump into the past for fun, there’s simply too many things that could go wrong on top of unintended consequences.”

Rather the berating her or dismissing her suggestion, Eury nodded thoughtfully. “Asgard wasn’t the only civilization to entertain the idea. It’s actually the conclusion I came to, myself. Each Infinity Stone has a different energy signature a certain…Flavor, if you will, and as I mentioned, these weak spots carry the signature of all six. Now, to my knowledge, no one has ever been able to combine them and use them simultaneously.”

“What would happen if someone managed to do that?”

“Honestly? They’d be a literal god. They’d be able to change the very fabric of the universe on a whim. Create and destroy life as they saw fit on a galactic scale.” Eury shrugged slightly. “They…Could end this universe and start another anew. The possibilities are literally endless.”

Loki could feel the blood draining from her face as she quickly worked through this information. “Thanos sought to gather the Infinity Stones, but I don’t know why.”

“Nothing good, I imagine. Still, his plans have been put on a permanent hold for right now, given that both the Mind Stone and Time Stone have gone on vacation for the foreseeable future.” He made a dismissive gesture. “I digress. Something I do too much of. Back to the point. I’m not sure if multiple universes have always existed, or they came into reality when the Divergence happened. Either is a possibility, but I lean towards the former.”

“Is there any way to find out?”

“…Well. I’m sure someone could punch through one of the weak spots given enough energy.” Eury commented, thoughtfully.

She couldn’t help but side eye the Celestial. “That sounds like a horribly bad idea.”

“Extremely bad.” He agreed, but had an expression that said he was considering it.

“You could destroy this universe and the one you’re trying to go into!”

“Who said anything about just me? I’d haul you along. Gotta have a sassy sidekick.” Eury had started to grin.

“Absolutely not.” Loki was no where near enthused with the idea.

“I was joking. Besides, I still need to do something about Thanos because he’s annoyed me.”

Quite frankly, she didn’t think he was joking and felt quite concerned about his line of thinking. Yet, a part of her also _liked_ the idea, because admittedly, she was curious about how other universes might differ from this one. Especially with Eury’s comment about choices affecting the ultimate outcome. Would the universe be similar except for one or two small details, or would it be wildly different? Still, she found herself feeling unusually cautious about the idea. On the other hand, the topic of the Infinity Stones brought forth an old question. “You never did tell me who made the Infinity Stones. I always assumed the Celestials did, but you said otherwise.”

Eury looked down for a moment and tapped the railing before he looked up, seemingly focused on something in the distance. “What do you know about the Cosmic Entities?”

Loki shook her head, “Vague legends, but nothing concrete.”

“They were the first. Eternity was the very first, timeless and immutable. At the same time he came into being, his twin sister, Infinity appeared. She works hand in hand with her brother to encourage the spread of life across the galaxy. Eternity was followed shortly after by his son, Entropy, who seeks to undo what his father and aunt work to achieve. Lastly, is Death. She’s impassive, all life will eventually meet her, willingly or not.” Eury looked to Loki, his expression somewhat solemn. “They are the true gods, eternal and unkillable, still existing in the deepest depths of the galaxy…They are the ones who crafted the Infinity Stones from the remnants of the galaxy’s birth and Celestials were their first creation. A test run, if you will.”

“This…Isn’t a legend or a myth, is it? This is hard fact.” She spoke softly.

“Correct. The galaxy exists in a balance, it always has…That’s how it was created: two gods that create and two gods that destroy, two male and two female. It might lean one way or another, but it always rebalances itself in some fashion. It always has and always will.” He shrugged slightly. “It just takes longer, and most beings don’t live long enough to see it that way. Yes, civilizations might drive themselves to extinction, but as long as it isn’t absolutely destroyed, the planet will slowly recover and in a few thousand years some other civilization will colonize it. I’ve seen it thousands of times and I’m sure I’ll see it thousands of more times.”

Unsurprisingly, Loki’s mind churned rapidly and generated hundreds of more questions, leaving her frustrated on what she might ask. Finally, she sighed. “I have so many questions to ask, but I don’t know how many is too many.”

“You’re curious about the universe around you, then?”

“Extremely. I was always more interested in researching than training to fight, like my brother.” She pressed her lips together tightly at the memories of Odin’s insults.

“There’s a time for fighting and there’s a time for thinking. A wise person always knows when which is needed.” Eury finally pushed himself away from the railing. “Either way, keep your questions in mind. I might indulge them at a later time.”

Loki found herself unsurprised when Eury’s body simply fell apart, as it always did. It left her wondering if the Celestial’s bodies had a limited amount of time to exist, or if he simply had other things to deal with. She added the question to her growing list and shifted her attention to what she’d learned.

“Cosmic Entities…As if a Celestial wasn’t bad enough…” She mused to herself.


	7. A Change of Direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Need more Loki? Like, a _whole_ lot more Loki? Take a gander at my other story, [When Ashes Fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14884089). WAF is an Infinity War AU that branches off wildly into its own massive thing, includes a fair amount of original characters, and presently sits at a chunky 49 chapters. [/shameless self-plug]

Four months had passed since he’d escaped with the Tesseract and Loki had settled into the idea of both Asgard and Thanos giving up on their search for him. Then again, he couldn’t be sure if Asgard had even looked for him to begin with. His Mother had only mentioned him essentially being exiled, but nothing about them actively searching for him. The thought of her caused him a bit of pain because he’d missed their frequent walks in her gardens or the hours spent in the library going through ancient, dusty books.

While he wanted to throw his illusion to her, he knew it wasn’t wise. The idea of what might happen to her if it became known that she was actively in contact with him concerned him. So, he had to wait for her to contact him again…Something he was impatient for because he desperately wanted her opinion on the issue of Eury. Still, he knew she’d remained concerned about him and doubted that she’d drop all contact with him.

True to his thoughts, she appeared one evening while he ate dinner in his hotel room. He smiled at her when she sat down across from him, “Evening, Mother.”

“I’m surprised you’re not exploring the city. Is it late?”

“Ah, no. Raining and I didn’t feel like getting wet, tonight.” Loki vaguely gestured behind him to indicate the window. “How are you?”

Frigga smiled. “I’m doing well. Your Father is still angry over what you did, as is expected. Thor worries about you, however, and is convinced that what occurred on Earth wasn’t your complete doing.”

He sighed and looked down at his meal. While he wanted to tell her, to warn her of Thanos…He wasn’t sure if he could put everything into words. Not to mention, it would eventually lead to talking about Eury. A faint whisper of a touch to his hand caused him to look up; Frigga’s illusion had touched him.

“Loki, please. I agree with your brother. It isn’t like you to try and wage war on an entire planet, especially one that holds no significant meaning to you.”

Loki looked away, aware of her referencing what he’d attempted to do to Jotunheim. “When I fell from the Rainbow Bridge, I landed in a place controlled by a warlord by the name of Thanos. His underling was very… _Persuasive_ in getting me to do what Thanos asked. So, I led his army in an attempt to get the Tesseract. He wants the Infinity Stones for some reason and will do whatever it takes to get them. Except…”

Softly, Frigga sighed and gave him a sad look. “Come back to Asgard, I could convince Odin to pardon you on grounds of being a prisoner of war and being coerced against your will into fighting.”

“I don’t want to go back to Asgard, Mother. I’m…Happy. At least, as happy as I can be, considering. But there’s more to the story.” He fiddled with his fork for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. “Two of the Infinity Stones no longer exist in this universe. I don’t know what happened to them, but there was a second…Copy of one of the people at my capture. Stark, I think Thor called him, but he wasn’t the same. He was older.”

“Are you suggesting time travel, Loki?”

“I am. And…All of this has caused me to gain the attention of a Celestial.” The more Loki explained what’d happened, the more he realized how deep into a pile of shit he’d gotten himself. Hell, a lot of it sounded like a fever dream…Especially the notion of time travel and the idea of Celestials still existing.

“…A Celestial? Are you serious?” At his nod, Frigga sighed. “I don’t know much about them, they’re…Mythology. Do you think this one is a threat to you?”

“I don’t think so. He seems mostly benign. I’m very certain he could destroy me without any effort, but…He’s more…Annoying for a lack of a better word. Curious, I think. Most of his negative attention is focused on Thanos.” Loki made a face. “He called me his ‘pet’.”

“Well, that at least implies that he might not be entirely malevolent, if he’s thinking of you in that regard. Most of the mythology states them as being power hungry, though. Eson the Searcher, for example.” She frowned. “Did he give you a name?”

“Eury, but I don’t know if that’s his actual name or not and he tends to use puppets he’s created to interact with me.” Loki paused to take a sip of his drink. “I…Did see what I think is his actual form. It was this giant, black…Almost snake like creature. I swear he was large enough to wrap around some of the planets in the galaxy.”

Frigga froze for a moment, then spoke as if she were reciting something. “Blacker than the depths of midnight, capable of encircling the world thrice and consuming it with ease.”

“That…Describes what I saw, perfectly. Asgard knows of him?”

“Not by the name ‘Eury’, no. There’s ancient records, old tales if I’m honest, of a similar creature being seen when Asgard was young. It appeared in the night and coiled around Asgard for three days and three nights, blocking out the sun. On the fourth day, it uncoiled and slowly orbited Asgard, following the ebb and flow of night. It remained for a season and as abruptly as it arrived, left.”

Loki furrowed his brows, as he thought over the legend. It seemed familiar, but…He suddenly look up. “You can’t possibly mean…”

“Asgard wasn’t as advanced as they are today and was a great deal more superstitious. They called the great creature ‘Jörmungandr’ and prayed that it wouldn’t consume Asgard. I always assumed it was some allegory for something, but wondered what spawned it since most mythology and legends have some basis in reality.” Frigga leaned back in the chair she sat in. “If that indeed was the same entity as this…Eury, then it’d essentially explain everything.”

“Explain what?”

The suddenness of Eury’s arrival caused Loki to jump and he glared at the Celestial’s intrusion. “Do you mind?”

Eury wandered over, “Not at all, feel free to continue your conversation.”

“I assume this is Eury?” Frigga shifted her attention from the sudden appearance of the man to Loki who nodded.

Without waiting for an invite, Eury sat down at the table. “Oh, talking about me? Please, do indulge me. I _love_ hearing all the different things civilizations come up with. Also, who are you?”

“I’m Loki’s mother, Frigga. We were discussing an Asgardian legend involving a creature that matches your description.” Frigga repeated what she’d told Loki and looked at Eury expectantly.

“That would indeed be me, since I’ve visited Asgard once in my actual form. Been there more than a few times using a form such as this. Anyway, I was a bit curious over Asgard being flat yet being able to host what initially appeared to be plant life. It also was a very potent magical focal point and I wanted to investigate how the magic had affected the life. I hadn’t realized that there was primitive, sentient life living on Asgard. Bit of a mistake on my part.” Eury grinned slightly. “I will say, I’m impressed how Asgardians managed to harness the magic and become one of the more technologically advanced civilizations.”

“Well, you made a lasting impression in Asgardian mythology.” She briefly glanced at Loki before looking back to Eury. “Loki says you’ve developed an interest in him.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. It’s a healthy curiosity. He’s part of a Divergence, which I believe is a splitting of timelines. Two of the six Infinity Stones are missing, and since he’s currently in possession of one? Well, I decided to investigate. I assure you, my interest in him is strict curiosity. You, however…” Eury grinned.

Frigga ignored his final statement and looked back to Loki. “I’ll see what I can find in the libraries, but in the meantime, I’ll see if I can further soothe your Father’s temper and try to get him more amiable to the idea of your return, should you change your mind.”

Eury immediately rolled his eyes at the news of Frigga being married, but didn’t attempt to flirt further. “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.”

After giving his Mother a slight nod of farewell, he turned his attention to Eury once her illusion had vanished. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to flirt with my Mother.”

“How was I supposed to know she was married?”

“…Common sense?” Loki sighed and shook his head. “What do you want?”

“To convince you to come with me when I attempt to break into another universe.” Eury plucked a bit of fried bread off of Loki’s plate and popped it into his mouth. “ _Obviously,_ I could just drag you along regardless of what you choose, but I’d prefer to give you a choice in the matter.”

“I’m, admittedly, curious…But I can’t help but think this is a bad idea. We don’t know if anything will happen to the universe that we go into. What if we encounter ourselves?”

“Well, Stark tunneled into our universe without any apparent ill effect. Beyond the rips, I haven’t noticed anything unusual. As far as meeting ourselves, you’re welcome to do whatever you please. As for me? Chances are…” Eury trailed off and made a vaguely sexual gesture with his hands.

Loki felt vaguely horrified and bit grossed out. While he wasn’t a stranger to sex, the idea of Eury actually doing _that_? “By the Nine Realms, _why_?!”

“Why not? When you’re as old as I am, it becomes a case of: been there, done that, literally done that…Why not spice it up by having sex with myself in another universe?”

Rather than replying, Loki just covered his face with his hands and sighed loudly. Likely, this was how his brother felt when he chose to brag about his various sexual conquests. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Say I agree to your idea. What’s your plan for pulling it off?”

“Glad you asked.” Eury gestured, prompting an illusion of the universe to appear. “I’ve been tracking where, when, and how the rips form and I think I’ve figured out how to predict them. They follow the energy that spiderwebs across the galaxy. You could think of them as galactic ley lines. Asgard, for example, happens to be one of many focal points for this energy.”

“Is this why Asgard was able to harness the Bifrost?”

“Exactly. Same thing, different name.” The illusion lit up with white lines to signify the energies. He touched a spot on the illusion, to indicate one of the lines. “Now, these rips, as I said, follow the lines of energy. They don’t form immediately and tend to be gradual, but! As they form, all the energy behind where the rip forms begins to be cut off. The energy redirects itself as it’s slowly cut off.”

“So, you mean to say you’ll be able to predict where a rip will form based on the areas where the energy is weakening?” Loki leaned forward to examine the illusion a bit more closely.

“Correct. It takes about two weeks for the full cycle of opening and closing to complete followed by about a week and a half of calm. So, the complete cycle takes about a month, I think.”

“You think. You haven’t had that much time to fully observe the rips! For all we know, you could be completely wrong.” He looked to Eury who shook his head.

“No, I’ve situated myself on one of the energy lines. It lets me feel the changes in energy.” He touched a spot on the map, then indicated where one of the rips were at. “This is where I’m at right now, at one of the junctions. This rip, right here, is starting to close. When it opened, there was essentially a back log of energy before it was able to redirect itself. With it closing, the line of energy is weakening.”

“…Like a river that’s been dammed and undammed.” Loki mused.

“You’re catching on. I imagine this one will be closed in another two or three days which means there should be about two weeks till the next one opens, three until it fully opens. This gives me time to root out where Thanos is at.” Eury finally waved his hand, causing the illusion to dissipate.

Loki frowned heavily. “While I don’t doubt you have the ability to handle him, the idea concerns me.”

“Why?”

“He has vast resources and I suppose it’s just hard to wrap my mind around the idea of you being able to kill him with ease. A being of your ability is simply hard to fathom.” While he normally hated to admit ignorance on a topic, this was one where he was simply out of his element.

Eury considered this for a moment. “My reasoning is twofold. He’s been fucking around the galaxy for the past couple of centuries killing half the life on the planets he encounters. Megalomaniac warlord. Big whoop. Nothing new nor special. Now, the concerning thing is that he seeks the Infinity Stones, which makes me think he has some sort of plan to use them. Obviously, he’s not going to get the full collection, but the still existing four are more than enough for him to cause all sorts of trouble. The Power Stone alone can rend a planet in two. Point is, he really, really shouldn’t get his hands on the remaining ones.”

“I agree with that entirely, but what’s your second reason?”

“You, of course, my shapeshifting Jotunn pet.” Eury looked highly amused at Loki’s glare. “Oh, don’t give me that. I suspected when I saw you, but digging through your memories on confirmed it. Contrary to what you might think, having my attention isn’t always a bad thing. You’ve done nothing to gain my ire, therefore I have no reason to harm you. In fact, I find you quite adorable in the sense of a puppy who’s figuring out the world around him. Like most living things who’ve adopted something adorable, Thanos’ treatment of you has most definitely resulted in my ire towards him.”

“I’m not thrilled with the idea of you being interested in me, in that fashion.” Frankly, Loki found the idea of an all powerful being seeing him as a pet to be fussed over both demeaning and terrifying. “I assume I have no choice in the matter?”

“You know, in eons past, people would kill to be in the position you’re in. It’s a chance to learn the secrets of the universe, a promise that anyone that’d dare harm you would be killed, and essentially have all your needs cared for. That being said, I can admire your wariness as a sign of intelligence.”

“Because this sort of thing almost never goes well for the mortal. There’s always some catch or some price to pay. What’s yours?” While the offer Eury made was highly, highly appealing, Loki wanted to err on the side of caution.

Eury smiled. “That’s how it always goes, isn’t it? Honestly? There isn’t one. You live your life and I occasionally pop up and annoy you. Though, in the case of what’s planned, I’ll be hauling you along with me.”

Loki stared at the Celestial for a moment, churning over what he knew about the entity so far. Then the obviousness of it all hit him and he felt dumb for not realizing it sooner. “You’re the only one of your kind. You’re lonely.”

“Only one that I _know of_.” Eury corrected. “The universe is vast and even with as long as I’ve been around, I haven’t been everywhere.”

It didn’t take a genius to see how Eury had oh so casually side-stepped Loki’s accusation and he simply raised an eyebrow at the entity. The Celestial, for once in all of their meetings, made an annoyed noise. “Fine. Small bit of loneliness, mostly boredom.”

“What happened to the other Celestial you mentioned?”

“Oh, Anahel? Dead, I think. She wanted to take over the universe and created these strange little creatures…Orussid, I think she called them. Asgard fought against them at some point and drove the entire race to extinction. I can’t see her just allowing them to be destroyed, not with the work she put into them.” Eury shrugged. “This was several thousand years ago…But she’s the only other one I’ve encountered.”

“I can’t say I like the idea, but I’m suspecting that I don’t have much choice in the matter.”

“Mmm…No, not really. As I said, I’d prefer if you agreed to it since it’ll make things easier.” Then, Eury rolled his eyes. “I’m BSing you. If you actually, truly, didn’t want to, I wouldn’t force you…But I see the interest in your face when I talk about things. That’s why I don’t think you’ll turn my offer down.”

Just as he’d called the Celestial out on being lonely, Loki found his curiosity being called out. “You wouldn’t be wrong…But I want to ensure my safety before I go on any inter-galactic adventures. I don’t want to get dumped on some lava planet because you got bored of my existence.”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. I’m…Not what you’d consider malicious. I don’t see the point of destroying a planet just because I woke up cranky. I would much rather sit to the side and watch a civilization build itself up from primitive stone age animals into a powerful interplanetary force.” Eury tilted his head to the side and watched Loki for a moment. “So, do you accept my offer?”

“Yes, I do. On _one_ condition: you answer my questions. No more of this ‘maybe later’ fuckery you’ve been doing.”

“Seems fair enough.” Eury agreed.

Admittedly, Loki hadn’t expected Eury to just agree so easily since he really, really seemed like one of the mysterious asshole types. On the other hand, since he’d agreed? Loki grinned, “Better get comfortable, then. I have a bunch to ask.”


	8. Upside Down and Inside Out

As the time to leave steadily grew closer, Loki found himself increasingly worried about the act of tunneling through to another universe. He worried not only about the potential effects to himself, but also to the universe that he’d called home for so many centuries. Not to mention, Eury had made it quite clear that he intended on ‘handling’ Thanos before they left. Then, another concern had popped up: how Eury intended to travel. There’d been no mention of a ship or anything of the sort, but then again? Loki _was_ dealing with a god. Who knew what the entity had up his metaphorical sleeve?

Quite likely, the only one in the universe who knew was the Celestial himself.

Despite his concerns, Loki found it quite easy to focus on the exciting notion of getting to see another universe. Up until a few weeks ago, the theory of multiple universes had been just that: a theory. It not only broke a number of established scientific laws, it presented an entirely new set of them. Frankly, if he made it back to what he considered the Prime Universe, he would have to take his Mother up on the offer of getting him pardoned. Because, by the Nine Realms, he’d likely be able to publish a number of papers on the things he’d encountered.

These were the things he focused on in an attempt to distract himself from the potentially disastrous things that could happen. While he wasn’t normally one to be overly cautious, he felt it was warranted in this case. Still, the concern churned in his stomach the night before Eury was scheduled to return. Honestly, Loki couldn’t tell if it was excitement over seeing a universe, concern that something would go wrong, or fear over the idea of being near Thanos again. Perhaps it was a combination of all three.

The next morning, after breakfast, he anxiously waited for Eury. Unfortunately, he knew he could be waiting for several more hours since the entity had only given him a date. However, he didn’t have to wait too terribly long when the Celestial simply _appeared_. “How do you even do that?”

“Telepathic manipulation of matter.” He held out his hand. “Let me see the Space Stone.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m aware that you keep it in a pocket dimension and I’m not entirely sure if you’ll have access to it when we venture into another universe. So, I devised a way for you to carry the Stone, but in order to do that, I need to remove it from that cube it’s in.” With the Tesseract in hand, Eury examined it for a moment before simply crushing the cube, ignoring Loki’s sound of protest. Then, he held up the blue Stone. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. That was merely a containment vessel.”

Loki softly sighed. “It’s hard to imagine that such a small object is so powerful.”

“A black hole the size of a coin can rip apart a sun.” Opening his other hand, he revealed a small pendant on a chain that was perfectly sized to hold the Infinity Stone. “A much better containment system. The Cube, while effective, was crude and unwieldy. Very unfashionable.”

“How will that contain the energy better than the Tesseract?”

“Oh, it’s not really a matter of containing the energy. The Space Stone is relatively benign…If temperamental at times. It’s…Fickle.” Carefully, he placed the Stone into the pendant and smiled as the silvery metal suddenly took on a slight blue color. “Ah, it likes its new home.”

“You act like it’s alive.” Curiously, Loki took the necklace when it was held out to him. “How will I prevent people from stealing it?”

“In a way, Infinity Stones are alive. They were created from very primordial energies and I half wonder if they’re not the remains of other Cosmic Entities that didn’t _quite_ form. This one is fickle. If it doesn’t like you, it might just throw you to the other side of the galaxy. The Reality Stone? Nasty thing. Very malevolent. The Time Stone? Quite neutral, more interested in simply existing. My point is, show the Space Stone respect, and it’ll serve you dutifully.” Eury stepped back and smiled. “As for people stealing it? A simple spell. The only people who may take it are those you give verbal permission to, excluding me, of course.”

Carefully, Loki held the necklace in his hand. No longer did the Space Stone cause his hand to tingle, instead it pulsed a gentle warmth…Almost like a heartbeat. “Before you appeared, I always have a feeling of dread when I handled the Tesseract and that feeling vanished after your arrival.”

“Interesting. It likes you, then, and was trying to warn you about my search for you. Also, you’ll be able to illusion it, if you want. I realize it might not be practical to appear to be wearing a necklace.”

After another moment, Loki put the necklace on and tucked the pendant under his shirt. “Speaking of the other universes, how will we be traveling? I assume you have a ship?”

“Oh, no ship. You’ll be traveling with me. Given that I control my little puppets telepathically, I don’t think it’d be wise to send a puppet with you. It might go swimmingly and I somehow exist in two universes at once, my puppet falls apart upon crossing the veil, or I exist in two different universes and manage to annihilate myself. So, I decided the best course of action was for me to physically enter the other universe.”

“You realize I need to breath, correct?” Loki warily stared at Eury who’d begun to grin.

“I’m not going to kill you, nor will I allow your physiological needs to go unmet. It might be disorientating or even terrifying.” Eury’s expression turned serious. “But you have my word that you won’t be harmed.”

“You’re not reassuring me in any shape or form. I want to know _exactly_ how you’re going to do this.”

“I essentially exist as what you might consider to be a giant brain. With the exception of the outside layer I’ve crafted as protection, every part of me is a complex web of neurons and impulses. I have no heart, no limbs, no organs, and no body. As you learned a few months ago, I was able to worm into your brain.” He held up his hand which liquified into a gelatinous, black ooze. “This puppet is of a similar substance as what I am. Meaning I was able to tap into your nervous system.”

The more Eury talked and explained, the more Loki had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to like what the Celestial had planned. “Meaning?”

“Meaning, you’ll for lack of a better word, get to be a brain parasite for the duration of the trip through the tears. However, in order to handle your physiological needs, I’ll need to be tapped into your nervous system so I can provide what you need, as it’s needed.” Eury inhaled deeply and sighed. “Unfortunately…I’ve never done this before so I can’t promise that you won’t get any feedback from me.”

He stared at the entity for a solid minute as he considered this information. Finally, he gave a slight nod of understanding before he spoke. “Not doing it.”

“Oh come, on!” Eury looked exasperated. “It won’t be that bad.”

“That’s what you said when you looked inside my mind! _I_ nearly had a heart attack.”

“No, you were having a panic attack because you thought I was going to do the same to you as The Other.” He sighed. “Are you really going to throw away the chance to see another universe? Yes, I’ve never done anything like this, but even if something does go weird, I can figure out and learn from it so next time will be _better_.”

“I don’t want it to go weird in the first place.” Loki snapped, but then sighed as he turned around and rubbed his forehead.

Eury tilted his head to the side. “You’re worried because I plan on killing Thanos.”

“No…I…” Loki closed his eyes, sighed, and wordlessly nodded.

“You’re not going to be where he can touch you, let alone see you. In fact, he won’t know you’re with me because he’ll be more concerned about the threat I pose to him.” Eury moved to stand in front of Loki and held his hand out. “I offer you the chance to see wonders that no mortal has seen or will ever see and partake in the occasional shenanigans…In exchange for, as you so intuitively figured out, companionship. I only ask that you trust me.”

Loki stared at the hand offered to him, know that he was being given a final chance to back out. If he refused, that’d be it and he’d likely never see Eury again. His life would continue with how things had been for the past few months, as if he’d never met the entity. If he took his hand, there was no telling where he’d end up.

His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled with the decision. It had been so easy, previously, to claim that he’d jump in feet first without any hesitation. Actually being faced with the prospect had proven to be another thing entirely. He glanced up at Eury’s face, the Celestial seemed to hold an expression of infinite patience and didn’t say or do anything to try to sway his decision.

Finally, Loki set his jaw and took Eury’s hand in a firm grasp. Eury slowly smiled and spoke softly, “Very good.”

Every part of him tensed when Eury’s form shifted into the black ooze from before and rapidly slithered up his arm. He could feel the coldness sinking into his skin and the faint prickly sensation that followed; it made him wonder if he’d made a grave mistake. His concern shifted into panic as the ooze crept over his face and he worried that the Celestial was trying to suffocate him. Then he felt the sudden sensation of being yanked backwards.

Panic exploded in his mind. His senses told him nothing, only that he was weightless and cold; he tried to scream but one couldn’t scream with empty lungs. Despite his inability to breathe, he didn’t feel that he was suffocating. He struggled to moved, and found himself paralyzed which only worsened his panic. Every part of him seemed to ignore his mental commands.

He felt himself bump into something firm and thick tendrils suddenly wrapped around him, pulling him close. The firmness gave way and the tendrils pulled him in. No longer was it cold and instead the temperature felt perfect, but he still tried to fight and scream, to escape a very poorly thought out decision. He felt the coldness creeping into his veins, working their way up into his mind and then a sudden, almost electrical jolt dazed him followed by an ocean of calm curiosity crashing down on him.

Eury…Or was it they…He..? Loki ceased being able to tell where he ended and where Eury began. As far as his mind was concerned, they were one entity; Eury’s thoughts and feelings were his own. He had no eyes and couldn’t see the universe around him, but his other senses told him plenty. The warm energy from the star he languidly basked in was a brilliant rainbow of different wavelengths. He sensed all of them, from the extremely low frequency radio waves to the fast-moving gamma rays and they painted a picture of the solar system around him.

His attention shifted inwards, to the minuscule creature he’d brought to himself, carefully wrapped in a cocoon, and then hidden deep within himself. As he had promised, he wouldn’t allow harm to come to him. The shell he’d crafted for himself would keep them both safe, but he chose to be cautious and place Loki deep inside. If danger were to reach him, Eury knew that he likely wouldn’t survive it, either. Loki seemed to be doing well enough. His physiological attributes had calmed, and his mind no longer seemed frantic. If anything, he seemed to be asleep. Eury would have to question him about it, later.

Slowly, he shifted away from the sun, the skin of the side that had been exposed to it thickening to help trap the warmth. Certainly, he didn’t need to bask since he was capable of generating his own heat, but he enjoyed the sensation all the same. The energy from the sun interacted with the magnetic fields of the planets of the solar system, causing them to light up as bright spots in what would otherwise be darkness. He barely felt the dull impact of debris as he passed through the asteroid belt; some of the asteroids were brought in to himself to be broken down and consumed, the rest were spat out.

As he traveled, he split his consciousness and threw it towards where he knew Thanos resided. He materialized on an asteroid, noting how there seemed to be an atmosphere. Interesting. To his left an armored creature that he recognized as The Other slinked towards him.

“Who are you, who _dares_ step foot on Thanos’ domain without his approval?”

“I seek your master.” Eury kept his gaze in front of him, where he’d seen Thanos sit in his chair when he’d gone through Loki’s memories.

“Thanos has no busi—”

“Ignore my demand again, and I’ll turn you inside out so that you’re wearing whatever organ you call a liver as a _hat_.” He finally shifted his attention to the alien. “I will not repeat myself.”

He knew the alien was glaring at him from under its helmet, but shifted his attention back to where he knew Thanos would be. Moments later, warlord’s chair settled at the edge of the asteroid and Thanos stood, wearing an expression of annoyance.

“I feel I should congratulate you on finding Sanctuary, but what do you want? Have you come to plead for your planet?”

“I don’t plead for anything, Thanos. You’ve _annoyed_ me. Greatly, annoyed me. I’ve been aware of what you’ve been doing for several centuries and frankly, hasn’t been any of my concern. Up until recently, anyway.” He paused. “And if your little insect touches me, I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

“If you’ve been aware of my mission, then you understand why I do it.” Thanos tilted his head to the side.

“I understand, and frankly, I think it’s idiotic. The worlds will recover and _boop_ few thousand years? Right back at square one. It was…Also brought to my attention that you seek the Infinity Stones.” As he spoke, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, he snapped out his hand and grabbed The Other by the arm, then violently twisted; he continued talking despite the wet snap of a shoulder being dislocated and the alien to his left screaming. “I want to know what you plan to do with them.”

The Other jerked away from him and raised a weapon to attack. Instead, a black tendril formed at Eury’s feet and lashed out, decapitating the alien with a single swipe. Eury didn’t blink at the sound of the body landing behind him. On the other side of the universe, he opened a rift to enter. “Mostly for curiosity’s sake…I’m still going to kill you.”

Thanos barely seemed to notice his underling’s death and seemed to regard Eury with indifference. “Many have said those words and…” He lightly raised his arms. “I still stand. Why would you be any different?”

“Focus, Thanos. Why do you want the Infinity Stones?”

“Do you really think I’m a fool and would tell you? Thanos asked, incredulously, as he walked towards Eury. Once in front of him, he stopped and stared down. “I’m not sure if I should consider you brave or foolish.”

Tilting his head, Eury smiled. “Or perhaps you annoy things you don’t understand.”

He fully expected to be attacked and only laughed at Thanos’ visible confusion when his neck refused to be crushed. Now eye to eye with the alien, he grinned widely. “Oh, Thanos. You really thought this was my actual body. Oh, no, no, no. _That_ is.”

He pointed behind Thanos where the rift had opened in the distance to deposit his true body. A low, barely audible rumble caused the asteroid to vibrate. With the alien distracted, he wrapped his hand the best he could around Thanos’ wrist and quickly wormed into his mind. “The Infinity Stones, Thanos.”

Mentioning them prompted Thanos’ mind to, for an instant, focus on the memory of them. This was really all Eury needed as a searching point and he quickly found what the warlord planned to use them for. “Destroying half the life in the universe? Ambitious, but it won’t ever happen.”

“What are you?” The words were rasped out, as Thanos fought the hold Eury had on his mind.

“A god.”

He allowed the puppet body to fall apart seconds before he collided with the asteroid, rapidly consuming it and immediately breaking it down. With Thanos and Sanctuary dealt with, he shifted his attention to the idea of the other universe. He still had a few days still the tear closed, but he didn’t know if there would be any long-term effects to Loki. Another quick check told him that nothing had changed in the Jotunn’s state and so he simply opened another rift.

This time, the rift deposited him near the tear and the energy lines that fed into it. The energy was pearlescent, and stood out vividly…Almost blindingly so. Moving into the energy, he gave a massive, full body twitch at how it danced over his skin and almost itched. He followed the line till he reached the tear where he stopped to examine it and consider his next action. Frankly, he had no idea where the tear would lead him, nor if he’d even be able to get back to the universe he’d resided in for eons.

However, his curiosity greatly outweighed any apprehensions he had and he pushed forward. The frayed edges of the tear were pure energy, purer than any he’d ever encountered, and burned when they touched him. This caused him to thicken his hide in an attempt to keep himself protected. The tear also pushed back against him, slowing his progression, but slowly, bit by bit, he broke through the tear and into the other universe. Behind him, the tear unexpectedly closed, leaving him floating there, half curled up in exhaustion.

Once more, he checked on Loki and with nothing different, he slowly drifted himself towards a nearby star. He needed to rest before he did anything else. As he moved, he allowed the damaged sections of his skin to slough off. It would be thinner than he liked for a little bit, but it’d still maintain adequate protection.

He would rest for a day, then he’d wake Loki.


	9. Heart of the Beast

Tiredly, he drifted, allowing the solar winds to push him and gravity to pull him as he fell into a lazy orbit around a star. He hadn’t anticipated how much the action of traveling to another universe would drain him, but he knew he was in a different one. The energy felt…Different. It was the same but similar to a drink that had an important ingredient that’d been substituted with something sub-par. This thought caused him to pause since it wasn’t _quite_ the analogy he’d use. While tired, it had piqued his curiosity and he shifted his full attention to Loki.

The Jotunn remained asleep…Except…Their brainwaves were unusually similar, which caused Eury to make a full body heave, in a vague mockery of someone sighing heavily. It caused him concern for Loki, as he hadn’t wanted to cause harm to him and he had no idea if such a close mental tie would do so. On the other hand, he recognized the thought hadn’t been his own and it made him wonder how much of his recent activities had actually been his own. The same held true for his thoughts. While he didn’t think Loki was truly aware, he recognized that he was at least cognitive enough to be making thoughts.

As he rested, he carefully considered his next step. While he wanted to rest, he felt concern for the Jotunn. There was no telling how he’d be affected by the unanticipated mental joining. Eury had tied into his nervous system in order to monitor his physiological needs and adjust the cocoon as needed. This had allowed him to effectively put Loki into a coma for the trip, but with the unexpected outcome of them essentially sharing a body.

Waking him would be the best choice of action, but at the same time, Eury knew he’d been weakened and also knew very little about the new universe. Finally, he began to carefully remodel the small area where he’d placed Loki. A small chamber that steadily filled with breathable atmosphere; he would act as a filter and constantly replenish the air. Despite being weakened, the action wouldn’t stress him in the slightest.

Slowly, he pulled the cocoon away from Loki, gently depositing him on the chamber floor. Then, he started slowly pulling away from Loki’s mind, and bit by bit, he found himself in a haze. Not quite a drunken stupor, but the sensation of being warm and surprisingly safe, the sensation of being weightless still vaguely lingered but lacked the feeling of being impossibly massive. Loki sucked in a lungful of air and he coughed, groaning at how his chest ached at suddenly having something in it.

He had the sensation of touch; the ground beneath him felt warm, soft, and spongey. Once more, he could hear again, but everything seemed dark. Was he blind? His mind struggled with the sharp disconnect of being back in his own body as he focused on the idea of having limbs and a body again. Around him, were sudden flickers of pale blue lights that he recognized as bioluminescence. Bit by bit, the small chamber he was in became illuminated and it allowed him to see the tendril attached to the ceiling the snaked down to him, flattened at his neck, slipped down the back of his shirt, then attached itself to his back…Like some bastardized umbilical cord.

Loki held his hand up in front of him and wiggled his fingers as he tried to reason out what he’d experienced. It hadn’t felt like a dream, not in the least bit. He could still easily recall the amusement at Thanos futilely trying to strangle him…No, that had been Eury. Yet…He rubbed his face and sucked in a sudden breath at the concern that flooded his mind. It wasn’t his emotion, either.

“Eury? What happened?” His voice sounded flat and didn’t echo. This caused him to carefully move to the wall and touch it. The substance felt somewhat warm to the touch and had a slight give, like a sponge. “Where am I?”

Rather than verbal reply, he found himself with sudden knowledge. Somehow, they’d briefly become one entity, an unintended consequence of how Eury had chosen to monitor him. Eury had been the one in control, Loki’d simply been taken along for the ride…Despite thinking that it’d been entirely him, that _he’d_ been Eury.

Knowledge that told him that he currently resided deep within the Celestial, protected from harm, and with all of his needs handled thanks to the tether attached to his back. A temporary measure until Eury found a place he deemed safe enough for Loki.

While he found the information fascinating, he also found it concerning since he swore he could still feel ghosts of what Eury was doing. “Can you physically speak to me, or are you limited to only sending me thoughts and information?”

_Not physically, but mentally. I didn’t want to overwhelm you._

Now, Loki found himself being concerned. The Celestial sounded weary, tired almost. His mental voice lacked the energy and curiosity that he’d felt the first time their minds had touched. “Are you alright? I…Remember the tear burning my…Your skin.”

 _Our._ Eury corrected. _We might as well been one being with how closely our minds joined…But yes, I’ll recover. I’m simply tired. Don’t worry, your needs aren’t straining me and are honestly quite minuscule. Your stomach might complain about being empty, but you’ll have all the nutritional needs you require._

“I won’t lie. It was amazing.” Loki faintly smiled at the memory of the star and the solar system. “How long do you need to recover?”

He tiredly rumbled out a low laugh in Loki’s mind. _I did promise to show you things no mortal has seen before. I was going to rest for a day and see how I felt. I’m basking in front of a sun and I consumed a large portion of Thanos’ base, so I should be able to generate what I need from that. Worse case scenario? There’s a dead planet orbiting the star._

“Do…You think he exists in this universe?” Loki reached under his shirt and felt of his back. The tendril was of the same soft, spongey material and had attached itself firmly to his skin, as if it’d always been there. He couldn’t help but shudder when he found a thick vein towards the middle of the tendril that pulsed in time with his own heartbeat. Few things disgusted or repulsed him, but this was one of them and he had to restrain himself from trying to claw at it.

 _Maybe. However, there’s a possibility that he doesn’t know who you are if he does._ Eury paused and Loki felt a sensation akin to an apology. _That’s the best I could come up with because I doubt you’d like the alternatives any better._

He hesitated, a part of him not really wanting to know if the alternatives were supposed to be worse, but morbid curiosity being what is was… “And those are?”

_The first thought was the idea of filling the chamber with fluid that’d provide what you needed and was breathable, but I decided against it since you’d probably panic over trying to breath liquid. The other idea involved a similar set up as this, but nutritious secretions._

Immediately, Loki regretted asking and stared at the far wall before shuddering, hunching up slightly, and looking away in an act of full body revulsion at the last idea. “Ah, no. This will suffice just fine. Should I be worried about it kinking or anything? I noticed it had a…Pulse.”

Again, Eury laughed. _I thought as much. No, if that happens it’ll correct itself. The pulse you felt is filtration and nutrition. Everything is designed to complement your physiologic needs._

“It just…Feels strange.” He abruptly straightened up when the sensation of the tether vanished. Looking up, he saw that it was still attached to him, but now it felt like it’d always been there with him. “That’s better, but I’m concerned at how you’re able to manipulate my brain like that.”

_Yes, I could do a number of things and trigger a lot of different reactions, but frankly? That’s not something I’m interested in doing. Right now, my interest is keeping you safe and comfortable until I can find a planet to put you on. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen until I’ve rested and had a chance to look around._

“Do you ever sleep?”

_I was hoping to do that after I woke you, but decided to delay the idea of sleep in favor of making sure you recovered from our accidental merging. You seem to be doing well, though._

“I just feel…Exhausted, but I think that’s bleed-over from you.” Loki paused and looked up towards the ceiling of the chamber, wondering if the Celestial could see him. “You should rest, I’ll be fine.”

_It’s hard to say. It might not be a bad idea for you to rest, as well, considering how you shared things. Either way, I won’t be entirely asleep. If you need me, just say my name._

He nodded absently, more to himself than anything, and walked to the other side of the chamber in order to examine the glowing segments. While the light they produced provided enough visibility for him to move around, they weren’t overly bright and simply kept things comfortable. Perfectly, so. The ambient temperature, while warm, wasn’t so warm that he’d be over heated and again…Perfect.

Sitting down, Loki leaned against the wall and briefly grimaced at how the spongey material deformed to contour his body perfectly, the umbilical included. Eury had been right: the place _had_ been designed with every aspect of his comfort in mind. It left him a bit unsettled, in all honesty, but it was a lot better than it could be.

He suddenly rubbed the side of his head and blinked at the heavy sleepiness that had abruptly weighed down on him. Unfortunately, he didn’t know if the sleepiness belonged to him or Eury. Finally, he eased himself over and tried not to cringe at the sensation of the floor. It just felt _weird_ …A sort of soft…Fleshiness. It sort of made sense since he was inside Eury and…

A low rumble woke him up, followed only by what he could describe as a quake of some sort. He sat up and pressed his back against the wall, wondering if they were being attacked by something. Then again, he couldn’t think of anything stupid enough to attack a being as massive as Eury. However, as quickly as it’d started, it stopped and Loki’s mind was flooded by a sheepish emotion.

_Apologies. I didn’t realize my stretching would wake you in such a way._

Loki recalled how they’d done a full body shake upon entering the energy line and figured a similar thing had happened. “Well, it’s good to know that we aren’t being attacked. You sound better.”

 _I feel better. Still weak, but considerably better_. _I think a lot of it is because I’m having to become accustomed to the energy in this universe. It’s similar, but not quite the same. Tastes weird._

He laughed at the faint edge of a whine to the Celestial’s voice. “So, you’re ready to start exploring, then?”

_I think so._

“I…Have a request.” He hesitated for a moment before he continued. “I enjoyed seeing things the way you do, I found it beautiful. Since I won’t be able to do much while you find a safe planet, could you show me what you see? I don’t want to be asleep for the duration of the trip because I think I’m as excited as you are about seeing this new universe.”

_I don’t mind the idea at all, but I’m worried about the potential harm to you. While I have a better idea of what went ‘wrong’, I’m just not sure about sharing that much with you so quickly. I’m just thinking about the long-term consequences, that’s all._

“Damn the consequences.” Loki suddenly spat out. “I’ll only live once, and you were right in how I’m curious about everything. If something happens, we can deal with it when it pops up. This is a new universe with new things to explore. I want to be there at the front of it and not locked away where I can’t see any of it. I know I’ll eventually be able to see it when you find a plant, but quite honestly? I’m far too impatient right now to wait that long.”

Eury laughed softly in his mind and Loki suddenly found himself _aware_. It was much the same as before, but this time his mind could differentiate himself from the Celestial. Once more, he saw the energy of the universe around him and how the intense strength of the sun slowly burned away the lone planet in the solar system. He was aware of where his actual body was at, nestled deep and safe, yet at the same time was _also_ aware of what was happening around his actual body…While being aware of what was happening around Eury’s.

The sudden overload of information caused him to want to twist and writhe, to escape it, but he couldn’t move and this only increased his anxiety. Suddenly, he found himself back in his body with the sensation of someone stroking his head in an attempt to reassure and Eury’s concern. Finally, he gasped out, “That was a bit much.”

_Agreed. I apologize. I’m trying to figure out how to make it so that you’re aware of yourself but can experience what I do. Do you want to try again?_

Loki nodded, “Do it.”

Once more, he found himself infinitely massive, but no feedback from his body. He couldn’t move, but he was fine with that notion, Eury’s senses told him plenty about the universe around him. The Celestial’s concern seemed to hover over him, seemingly ready to throw him back into his body at a moment’s notice. _It’s fine. I think._

Eury seemed relieved and pulled away slightly. _Then I figured it out._

_What happened the first time?_

_The nervous system is a complex system of chemicals, naturally occurring electrical impulses, all combined with a unique layout…Not unlike the layout of a city. It was essentially figuring out what I needed to adjust or block. I want you to experience some of the things I do, but not everything…I don’t want you to become me like you did the first time we connected like this. This also means I’ve probably figured out all the little kinks for whenever we decide to wander into the next universe, assuming this universe has the tears, as well._

Loki would have sighed if he’d been capable, but he didn’t blame Eury. It seemed there were a number of things that they didn’t think through, and had instead jumped in feet first. _I can’t see why it wouldn’t. You mentioned the tears carrying the energy signature of all six of the Infinity Stones, but they haven’t been used in our universe, which implies they’ve been used in a different universe. So, since it affected **our** universe, it’d make sense for it to affect the others._

This caused Eury to give off a sensation of agreement right before he consumed the small lone planet in the galaxy, much like how a snake would eat an egg. At Loki’s concern, _It was a dead planet and I need resources to restore my reserves since I used a lot to rebuild my outer shell._

The overall sensation was weird for Loki. He could feel the planet moving down his…Eury’s gullet while a facsimile of muscles crushed it, breaking it apart to extract the useful minerals, metals, and anything else that could be used. Certain elements were shifted to another part of the body in order to be combined with something before being shifted to another area to be stored or further processed into something even more useful. Other parts of the planet were simply sorted and moved to storage vesicles to be used at a later time.

It was surprisingly efficient and Loki, for the moment, found it to be a great deal more interesting than what was happening outside of them. He marveled at how Eury used the newly acquired resources to thicken the thinner parts of his hide, replacing what had been burned away when they traveled through the tear. Eventually, he became aware of the Celestial’s amusement.

_What?_

_I just find it interesting at how you’re mystified by what I take for granted. I don’t really pay much attention to what happens when I consume something. It happens as a sort of auto-pilot type of things. Similar to how you eat: you’re aware that you’re chewing, but your attention is on other things, so you don’t really pay attention_.

With the planet fully processed and consumed, Loki shifted his thoughts back the universe and Eury. _I just thought that you didn’t need to eat._

_I don’t, really. Not in the sense that you do. You need to eat because your physiological processes need certain minerals and molecules to function. I need no such thing and am capable of using the energy I absorb to fuel everything I do, as well as breaking down and reusing any waste products I might produce. However, if I want to craft a shell for protection or repair damage, I need outside materials which is where I need to occasionally consume planets. In most cases, I get what I need simply by traveling and absorbing whatever bumps into me, as I’ve mentioned. However, this was an unusual instance._

Loki hung on to each and every word Eury said, filing away every bit of information. While he’d initially been apprehensive about the entire idea of traveling with the Celestial, he’d started to realize that the choice he made, had been the correct one. Already, he’d seen and learned much, much more than anyone from Asgard would ever hope to even hear about. Delighted, he quietly shifted through the list of questions he’d devised.


	10. The Same But Not

Time seemed to hold a different meaning for Loki. He was aware of it passing, but it seemed to have a different scale. Where he once thought of time in hours and days, he now thought of it in decades and centuries. Sharing Eury’s body had brought him a new perspective, somehow. Of course, Loki initially worried that years would pass before they found a planet to explore, but Eury assured him otherwise.

 _I want us to take it slowly for the first few days. Traversing the weak spot was a great deal more taxing than I care to admit. While it is true that you’re aware of how I perceive time, rest assured that it doesn’t change the flow of time._ Despite two days having passed, Eury’s mental voice still held a sense of weariness.

On one hand, Loki felt concern for the Celestial, but on the other? He felt increasingly frustrated with their current position. Loki wanted nothing more than to explore this new universe. Eury’s laughter and amusement rang clear in his mind at his irritated thoughts.

_Patience, Little Jotun. Patience. I’m impatient, too, but I also know when it’s best to wait and recover. Isn’t that what you did when you escaped?_

_Yes._ Loki allowed a slight pout in his own voice. He couldn’t help his curiosity, but at the present moment he was essentially stuck with Eury…Quite literally. _Do you have any plans on where we might go, at least?_

 _I do, actually. I was thinking Asgard. You’ll have to illusion yourself, of course, to prevent anyone from recognizing you. We don’t know the current state of things. I caution against looking for anyone you know, as well…I’m not entirely sure what will happen if we meet our respective selves. Granted, we can obviously exist in the same universe. Present Stark and Future Stark proved this. However, beyond that?_ Eury made the mental equivalent of shrugging. _Plus, we don’t know how the timeline may differ._ _So, I wish to be a bit cautious, which is somewhat different than my usual modus operandi._

 _You make a fair point._ Loki reluctantly conceded the point, suspecting that the Celestial had picked up on his idea of trying to find his Mother. Still, he couldn’t help his impatience and tried to satisfy his curiosity in other ways. Namely, by pestering Eury with all manner of questions about the cosmos…And yet…Eury answered them with all the patience of a seasoned scholar, no matter how silly or outlandish Loki considered them, they were answered all the same.

He had the feeling that the Celestial was simply happy to have company. After all, eternity was a long time to be alone. Loki, himself, had begun to feel the need for social interaction during his extended trip around the galaxy and honestly couldn’t fathom eons of that. Eury, himself, had stated that he tended to be more of an observer than a meddler. In that regard, Loki suspected that it was probably a good thing that he hadn’t been born as a Celestial, because he knew he’d be meddling in everyone’s business for shits and giggles.

Still, as he’d promised, Eury made the decision to visit Asgard. Of course, rather than traversing space to reach the world, he simply disconnected Loki from his consciousness and ‘threw’ him…Essentially the reverse of what he’d done to bring Loki to him. It tended to be a great deal easier and honestly, wouldn’t attract as much attention, plus it left his physical form in a safe place where he could continue to recover.

Loki blinked owlishly at the light that streamed down from the gaps in canopy above him; he was in the Asgardian forest, near the edge of the city. Rather than immediately setting off, he took a moment to reorient himself. Having five senses once again not only felt overstimulating but also left him, in a sense, feeling blind. He’d become used to being blind and deaf, yet sensing the different energies and magics that permeated the very fabric of the universe. His brain took a few moments to remember what to do with the different stimuli that assaulted his senses.

Next to him, Eury touched his arm, a hint of concern in his voice. “Are you alright?”

“It feels strange to see and hear again.” Briefly, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times in hopes of speeding up his adjustment. “How do you move between having no senses to speak of and your puppet? I feel so disorientated.”

“Countless years of experience. Believe me, when I first learned to throw part of my consciousness away from my body and into a physical form, I had the same issues as you. If you do it enough, you’ll eventually get used to it.” Eury lightly nodded at him, but then grabbed his arm as he started walking. “Illusion, Loki.”

Glancing down at himself, he murmured his thanks and quickly brought up an illusion to hide his appearance. It really wasn’t anyone specific, but simply a combination of different male faces he’d seen over the years combined into one. From there, he followed Eury as they made their way into the city. Honestly, nothing really seemed to be different. The marketplace seemed to be bustling with vendors hawking their goods. It seemed perfectly normal truth be told, but there was a little inkling at the back of his mind that said something was _different_. Unfortunately, Loki couldn’t quite put his finger one it.

Despite it being every bit his home, Loki quietly reminded himself that it wasn’t _his_ home. No, his home was far, far away in another universe…And he had no idea if he’d ever see it again. Then again, he doubted that he’d be welcomed home. The only one who would have believed him would have been his Mother. _Maybe_ Thor, but he wasn’t sure about that. After all, he didn’t know how his brother would react to the news of him being a Frost Giant…A notion that Loki still struggled with, despite Eury’s overall indifference.

He still wanted to bristle at the ‘Little Jotun’ nickname he’d acquired, but he found it increasingly hard to do so when he heard the affectionate adoration in Eury’s voice. On one hand, it still terrified him to know that he’d gained the attention of such a powerful entity, but on the other…It felt…Nice to know that someone cared. While he didn’t know if said adoration would truly last, he intended to attempt to enjoy it while he could.

Loki still wasn’t sure about the notion of being the Celestial’s pet, however.

When they reached the palace, Loki took the lead, knowing the mazelike hallways intuitively thanks to centuries of living there. Softly, he murmured to Eury. “Court isn’t being held today. Odin won’t be in the throne room.”

The throne room looked the same and Loki had begun doubting Eury’s claim that things would be different in other universes. Except, the more he looked around, the more he began noticing subtle differences in the frescos on the ceiling…And the nagging feeling that had been stalking him since they arrived on Asgard only became worse the more he searched the ceiling. They were all small changes, but all had a central theme: they lacked him.

Feeling startled, he briskly walked to stand under the one fresco that had always annoyed him…The one that had Odin, Thor, and him. Loki had complained a great deal after its installation due to how the artist had gotten his nose completely wrong. Numbly, he stared up at it as the change that now stuck out obviously to him. Rather than having him, it had Frigga in his place. It took him a moment longer to realize that he hadn’t seen any trace of himself. No pictures, no statues, no mosaics, nothing.

He simply didn’t seem to exist in this universe. Except…

Loki craned his neck and squinted. The change seemed almost recent; some of the paint lacked the aged look that the rest of the fresco had. Clearly something had happened and Loki had a sinking feeling that he knew what it was. Behind them, someone cleared their throat, prompting him to half turn towards the person.

There, a woman stood; Loki dimly recognized her as one of his Mother’s maid. “Can I help you?”

Eury gave a pleasant smile. “Apologies. We’ve been off Asgard for several months and only returned today. We were hoping that court was being held today, but clearly, we mixed up our days. Has anything interesting happened in our absence?”

She seemed to accept the answer readily enough, but glanced away for a moment before looking back to them. “Prince Loki was a traitor, a spy sent by the Jotun to sneak others into Asgard to kill King Odin. He broke the Rainbow Bridge, faked his death, but resurfaced with an army to attack Midgard. He was captured and executed. King Odin claimed Loki was taken and replaced during the trip to Jotunheim, and is still a prisoner there, but…”

It was only through years of practice that Loki managed to keep a stoic face. Still, this explained why every trace of him seemed to be erased from existence. Lightly, he bowed his head. “Thank you for informing us. We’ll leave you be.”

Without waiting for a reply, he left the throne room with Eury at his heel. Considering what had apparently happened, Asgard had suddenly turned into a very dangerous place for him and it’d be wise to leave. A concern he quietly voiced to Eury. “I think we should leave as soon as possible, for obvious reasons.”

“I agree. Asgard is a very dangerous place for you now and I doubt things would go well if you were found out.” Eury briefly glanced at someone as they walked past a room. “I suggest, perhaps, finding an empty room and seeing if anything interesting has happened on Earth.”

“I’m not sure that’s the wisest, considering what we just learned, Eury. Granted, I have my illusions and shapeshifting, but…I’m not sure.”

He rolled his eyes. “You also have an Infinity Stone. You can literally teleport away from danger at a moment’s notice. Not to mention, you also have _me_ looking over you. I’m sure you remember quite well on what I was able to do to Thanos.”

Loki opened his mouth to make a rebuttal, but snapped it shut when he damn near walked into someone turning a corner. His mind briefly stuttered to a stop at seeing his Mother. Quickly he recovered. Loki bowed his head and murmured an apology, then moved to walk past her. Rather than accepting it and allowing him to continue, she grabbed his wrist in an iron grip and pulled him into a room. Eury lazily followed behind with a look of bemusement.

“Loki?!” She hissed, her normally reserved demeaner replaced by shock.

“My Queen? Loki’s dead.” This was not a good situation and he knew it; his Mother had always been one of the strongest magic users on Asgard. Not to mention, she’d also been the one to teach him how to cast illusions and likely could see past it. Sure enough, she waved her hand and banished his illusion.

Frigga seemed to examine him with an air of hopefulness, but then her expression turned sad as she released the hold on his wrist. “You’re Loki, but you’re not _my_ Loki.”

He watched her move past Eury in order to shut and lock the door. “No, I’m not. I’m from another universe.”

“How did you get here, then?” She walked to Eury and frowned at him. “And who’s your friend?”

Loki sighed and gestured at Eury. “He can explain that better than I can.”

“Eury. The general gist is that there’s multiple universes that exist, how many, I don’t know. Something happened to cause weak spots between said universes, I think someone from another universe tunneled into the universe that Loki and I are from. Essentially, the weak spots form along the magical ley lines that crisscross the galaxy.” Eury shrugged. “So, being overly curious, I talked him into accompanying me into one on what’s essentially an inter-galactic road trip.”

Frigga gave a small nod and returned to stand in front of Loki. The sad expression returned as she examined him further. “For the sake of my own knowledge…What happened when you fell off the Rainbow Bridge?”

Loki looked away, torn between telling her the truth and the knowledge that she wasn’t the Mother he knew. At the same time, he doubted the inhabitants of this universe knew what Thanos had planned. Knowing what he did about Thanos’ plans, he felt compelled to warn someone in _this_ universe. “I was captured by an alien warlord known as Thanos. He…Tortured me until I was subservient to his will so that I’d seek out powerful artifacts known as ‘Infinity Stones’ for him. This led to an assault on Midgard, Earth, I lost but was able to escape before I was taken back to Asgard.”

A pained look crossed her face, but she closed her eyes and nodded. “So, he told the truth, then...Just from how you…My son acted upon his return to Asgard, I knew something terrible had happened. Odin weaved a lie to tell the Asgardian people, claiming that he’d been replaced by a Jotun…Not that he’d been found as a child. And…He used it as a reason to kill my son.”

“Who told the truth?” Loki glanced at the door before focusing back on Frigga.

“My son. When he was put on trial, he tried to tell us about what had happened, how Odin had treated him, what happened after he fell, how he’d been forced into leading the army. Odin dismissed it as the ramblings of a mad man, but the story always stayed the same. No matter how differently the questions were asked, he always said the same things.” She sighed and looked down at her hands. “Too little, too late.”

“What of Thor?”

“He believed my son over Odin and fought with him.” She closed her eyes and snorted, softly. “He took Odin’s other eye before leaving to Midgard to fight amongst the humans there, the Avengers, he called them. He said he’d return when Odin is dead.”

Loki couldn’t help but scoff. “Serves the old bastard right.”

“I take it the Odin in your universe behaved the same?”

It took him a long moment to reply, but he finally nodded. “That’s…Part of the reason I’m here instead of my own universe.”

Frigga gave him a sad look before sighing. “You two should leave. It’s dangerous for you here.”

“I know. We were going to leave before we ran into you.”

Moving to stand in front of Eury, she regarded him for a long moment. “I don’t know what you are, just that you’re far older and powerful than you appear. You’re looking after him?”

“I’m a Celestial.” Eury replied, simply. “And I am.”

Looking back to Loki, “And you said all of this was orchestrated by a being known as ‘Thanos’ who seeks the Infinity Stones?”

“Yes. The Tesseract houses one such stone.” Loki held the Space Stone up from under his shirt. “This stone, actually. There’s six of them, in total. They’re immensely powerful, ancient artifacts that can warp the very fabric of space, individually. He wants to gather them together and bring ‘balance’ to the universe by destroying half of all life in existence. He’s immensely powerful, with seemingly limitless resources. I don’t know if the inhabitants of this universe will be able to destroy him.”

Frigga considered this, thoughtfully, before she nodded. “I will think about the best way of bringing this up to Thor, without mentioning you. Perhaps I can claim I consulted the Norns…Still, thank you for giving me peace. While it won’t bring my son back, I can at least rest with the knowledge that he wasn’t a traitor. You two should go, however. Every moment you linger, risks you being discovered.”

“Heimdall probably knows I’m here already.” Loki replied, drily, before looking to Eury. An idea had already begun to form in his mind, but he needed a bit of time to plan everything out. “You know how to find me.”

Saying nothing further, he opened a portal and stepped backwards into it.


End file.
